Kitty
by The Raider
Summary: Wishverse AU. After becoming bored with Puppy, Willow finds herself playing more and more with her other ensouled pet, Tara, who she calls Kitty. Strangely finding herself becoming more and more attracted to her captor, Tara finds herself at conflict with the soul inside her, and her unbeating heart... VampWillow/VampTara
1. Becoming Bored

**Can't really say much about why I started writing this about a month or so ago. I guess its because I enjoy VampWillow fics, and I always have trouble finding the good ones, so I decided to try my hand at writing one. And since I'm such a major W/T fan, I couldn't help but add a VampTara to the mix. **

**Enjoy! I can't really promise how frequent the updates for this will be, considering that I'm really devoted to writing "Second Chances", but I'll try my best. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy, the show or the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. **

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"I'm so bored, Kitty." As she ran her fingers along the cold bars of the cell, Willow tilted her head slightly, her brain buzzing with ideas on how to relieve her boredom using one of the pets that she had. "And Puppy doesn't want to play today. His bark is gone."

Stopping, the vampire looked into the cell, almost smiling as she saw Kitty's eyes staring back at her from the darkness.

"Bored now." Sighing, the red-head pushed the key into the lock of the cell, turning it and opening the door in one swift motion. Making her way across the cold floor, the vampire finally smiled as she saw her pet pushing herself into the corner as far as the chains connecting her to the floor would allow. Unlike Puppy, Kitty seemingly never left the shadows of the cell unless she was pulled out. Kneeling down in front of the girl, Willow held out her hand. "Come here, Kitty."

"_N-N__o."_ The word left the other girl's mouth as nothing more than a pure whisper, the strength that should have been behind it nowhere to be heard.

"_Come. Here"_ Repeating the command, Willow actually enjoyed her pet's defiance. Puppy would never bite, he had been here long enough to know better. Kitty, on the other hand, tried to scratch her on occasion. It made everything more fun. "Come here, kitty, kitty, kitty."

Pushing herself even further into the wall, Tara could care less about how cold the walls of the cell were. She was already dead, and the temperature merely matched what was inside her. It had been that way ever since she had been turned, and somehow imparted with her soul again. Angel had said something along the lines that some mystical force called the Powers had chosen her as one of their champions, and as such, had given her a soul again. It was meant to help her control the bloodlust inside her, make sure that if she drained someone, she would regret it almost immediately. In the end all it had done was make her a target for the Master's minions once he had risen from his tomb underneath the same church that had trapped him there.

Some champion she was, curling into a corner in an attempt to stay away from her captor.

"Are you feeling shy, Kitty? It's just me." Pushing herself back onto her feet, Willow began to move towards the other vampire, her hips swaying back and forth as she walked. "I just want to play."

Remaining silent, Tara closed her eyes as the red-head's fingers finally reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the shadows. The tug wasn't particularly rough, but it still hurt slightly from the amount of force behind it. As her legs struggled to find their footing on the ground as she was nearly hoisted into the air, the vampire saw her captor's eyes staring down at her with a certain pitying quality to them.

"Poor Kitty." Dropping the weaker vampire onto the floor, the red-head looked down at her, the look in her eyes having changed to amusement. "Have you been chasing the rats again?"

Unable to voice the words to an answer, Tara simply nodded, unsure of what her captor was going to do.

"They can't taste very good, can they?" Kneeling down again, the red-head wedged her pet between the floor and herself before completely lowering herself down in order to straddle the other vampire. "Chasing them probably makes you tired. When pets are tired, they can't play."

"Y-y-yes, I'm t-t-tir-tired"

"You sound scared. Are you scared, Kitty? Something making you feel afraid?" Receiving only another nod from her pet, Willow considered getting the box of matches that she usually reserved only for Puppy. She hadn't properly heard Kitty meow yet, and the more she thought about what that would sound like, the more curious she became. _Curiosity killed the cat..._

"You should be." Smiling still, the vampire's grin only grew larger as she smelled the girl's fear as it began to fully circulate through her system. "I can be a bad mommy sometimes. Puppy knows that."

"H-he does?" As images of Angel being tortured by the other vampire spread through her mind, Tara's fear only continued to grow. She had heard the shouts, screams, and moans of pain that had circulated throughout the entire cell-block almost every day, and the memories of them only served to heighten her fear. The vampire above her was only the same in the way that they were creatures of the same breed. They shared nothing other than that.

"_Mhm,_ he does. He's a good Puppy. He lies still when I make him bark."

"What are y-you going to do t-t-to me?" Her stuttering continuing to worsen as more and more fear ran through her undead veins, the vampire had always felt somewhat relieved that the red-head had barely ever hurt her before. But now, that all appeared to be coming to an end.

"Anything I want to, Kitty. You're my pet." Titling her head slightly, Willow's smile dropped from her lips. "Isn't that right?"

"Y-yes."

"Good Kitty." Looking up at one of the Minions standing guard at the entrance, the red-head gestured towards the large box of matches that lay on the shelf. The box itself was half-open, the contents having been used the day before. Following her captor's gaze, Tara caught sight of the box and felt her heart drop, the unbeating organ seemingly wanting to erupt into pain. As she caught the box and removed the first match, Willow quickly lit the object and smiled.

"We're going to have fun, aren't we, Kitty?"

* * *

As she looked up at the vampire, Tara could already see the light from the match as her captor lit it and held it just above her chest, much like what she had been doing for the past few hours. As the match continued to burn, the vampire knew that it would be pointless to try and run, that would only make the red-head come after her even more. If she had wanted to run, she could have tried earlier, but even then, she would have known that it would have been a futile gesture. Even if she had been able to get out the door, the Minions standing guard would only capture her once more. The cell-door was locked, and there was only so much space between four walls. Closing her eyes for a single moment, the blonde prepared for the heat and pain that accompanied the lit match landing on her skin.

"You've been good, Kitty. Almost as good as Puppy." Still holding the match with her fingers, Willow looked at the numerous burn marks that lay scattered across the other vampire's skin, and smiled. "You're almost done."

"P-please, just drop it." Closing her eyes as a safeguard against the pain, the blonde continued to wait, almost wanting the match to finally just fall in order to stop the agony of waiting.

"Sounds like someone's getting anxious." Chuckling slightly, Willow slowly pushed the match in her hand towards the other girl's stomach, the flame inching closer and closer with each passing second. Feeling the heat of the flame on her skin, Tara remained entirely still. Her eyes opening against her will, she saw the match stop just mere inches from her skin. Catching the girl's eye, the red-headed vampire smiled. "I guess you really want this, don't you Kitty? You want this to finally be over with."

"Just do it." Meeting the other vampire's gaze for a moment more, the red-head finally brought the match back to her mouth and blew it out, the flame disappearing as it was extinguished and left behind nothing more than a thin trail of smoke.

"There, Kitty, all done." Setting the box of matches down beside the other girl's head, the red-head looked down at her pet, and smiled. "Feel any better?"

Leaning her head back as she closed her eyes, Tara refused to answer, her stomach on fire with the pain from numerous burns that had yet to even begin to heal properly. The rats she had been feeding on weren't providing much substance, and it was doubtful that her captor would ever bring her anything to curb the hunger. She was lucky to still be able to dull the pangs every now and then when they arose.

"Poor Kitty. I tired you out, didn't I?" Frowning, Willow reached down and ran her hand through the other vampire's hair. "You had a big day today. You probably just want to sleep, and sleep, and sleep."

As she continued to straddle the other vampire, the red-head could almost sense the intoxicating mixture of fear and pain pouring off of her pet. It made her smile once more to know the kind of effect she was having on the girl. She was almost like Puppy in the fearful respect that the pet had for her. Some part of Willow's mind wondered why she hadn't elected to play with Kitty more before this moment.

"Willow?" Looking up from her pet, the vampire saw Xander standing the doorway to the cell, an impatient look on his face. "Come on, the Sun's just set. Let's go see what we can find."

"Alrighty." Planting a kiss on Tara's forehead, the red-head smiled. "Bye, Kitty. I'll be back later, and we can play more." Returning to her feet, the vampire headed for the door, somewhat amused as she heard her pet groan slightly from the pain on her stomach.

"Say bye-bye to Kitty, Xander."

* * *

"Puppy was mad at me today, Kitty." As she moved into the cell, Willow looked down at the other girl with a frown forming along her lips. "He tried to bite me."

"W-w-why?" The nervousness running through her voice, Tara watched as her captor knelt down in front of her, a small splash of blood running along the other vampire's cheek.

"He was mad that I played with you yesterday." The frown disappeared from the red-head's lips, only to be replaced with a small smile. "He was jealous."

Running her fingers through the girl's hair, Willow looked into her pet's blue eyes, able to see every single spike of emotion that ran through the girl's mind. The vampire was afraid of her, and rightly so. It was more fun to see those emotions in Kitty's eyes than it was in Puppy's. He had been here longer, had seen all that she was capable of. With Kitty, it was like a blank piece of paper, waiting to have something written upon it.

"So I'm not playing with him today, or taking him out for a walk." Her free hand rubbing the wound on her cheek, the red-head looked down at the limb as it came back with blood-stains adorning her otherwise pale white skin. "He was bad, trying to keep me away from you and have me all for himself."

"W-walk?"

"I take Puppy out in order to make him stop pouting. He's persistent." Turning her gaze back onto the other vampire, Willow's lips morphed back into a smile that managed to send shivers down Tara's completely cold body. "So, I thought I'd take _you_ out instead."

"W-W-What?"

"Don't you want to go outside, to play with me?" Frowning slightly, Willow nevertheless reached out and started to pull the other vampire onto her feet. "It's more fun out there."

Looking at her captor, Tara knew that it was futile to say no to the other vampire, unless she wanted to see the box of matches used again. As if on cue, the burns on her stomach started to flare up again, the memory of the previous day coming back in full force.

"Ok." Her pet's answer making her smile, the red-head led the girl to the door of the cell, drawing the attention of the guard stationed only a few feet away.

"I'm taking her out for a walk. Can you go get Puppy's leash for me?" Walking away with slight hesitation, the minion returned moments later with the leather leash that resided near the other ensouled vampire's cell. Taking the offered leash without thanks, Willow turned back to the blonde vampire beside her.

"Hold still. Can't have you running away from me." Slipping the unlocked collar around her pet's neck without any further words, the red-head watched as the girl's face briefly contorted into pain as the collar tightened around her neck.

"Too tight?" She asked, her face devoid of emotion. Shaking her head, the blonde opened her eyes, somewhat thankful that she didn't need to breathe.

"Come on." Pushing the key into the lock, the vampire opened it and slipped out, her fingers wrapping around the leash's cord as she walked. Her feet falling into step, Tara felt the minion's eyes staring into her back as she and her captor headed for the stairs that led out of the dungeon. Looking back for a moment, the ensouled vampire hoped to catch sight of Angel, but the cells were already out of view.

As they continued up the steps, the vampire noticed that there were hardly any clocks displayed anywhere, as if to know the time of day wasn't required. In a way, it made sense, considering that she could always tell when night had fallen or when the day had risen. It was something that she had no way of being sure of, but was just simply something she knew, as if by sense alone. There was no doubt that any other vampire most likely felt the same way, and as such, the idea of a clock was slightly ridiculous.

"Where ya going, Wills?" Turning her head, Tara caught sight of the one that the red-head had called 'Xander' earlier.

"I'm taking Kitty outside. Puppy was bad and scratched me." Pointing to the still slightly bleeding wound on her cheek, Willow frowned. "He was bad."

"Whatever." Turning his attention back to the TV he was situated in front of, Xander was silent as the two vampires left the room and continued forward towards the door. Her hand turning the knob, the red-head stepped out into the night air, pulling her pet with her.

The night air was somewhat warm, a welcome change from the constant cold of the cell. Keeping her head low, Tara kept pace with Willow, the other vampire humming merrily as they walked along the otherwise empty sidewalk. Unable to slow down for even a moment, given the leather leash around her neck, the vampire took the time to take in what little scenery she could see with her bowed head. The town barely looked any different from that of the place she and Angel had first seen when they had arrived months ago. The only thing seemingly different was the emotion in the air. Where once there had been ignorant bliss, there was now only unrestrained fear.

"Isn't it wonderful, Kitty?" The red-head asked, as if she were able to read the girl's thoughts.

"No." Barely able to push the word past her lips, Tara prepared herself for any kind of backlash her captor may use against her. She imagined the other vampire turning around and slapping her, knocking her to the ground in order to show her dominance. But she didn't. Instead, the red-head chuckled as the two of them continued to walk.

"You're just not used to it, are you? Not enough rats for you to see." Pulling on the leash a little tighter, Willow grabbed the other girl's hand once she came close enough. Unlike with Puppy, she had left Kitty's hands free, somehow knowing that she wouldn't scratch her, not after yesterday. The blonde's fingers remained still for a few moments before they finally wrapped around her captor's, the temperature of the red-head's matching hers in every possible way.

Finally stopping after having traversed the sidewalk for a few more minutes, Willow rolled her head around and gave an exaggerated sigh.

"Bored now." She said, turning her head towards the girl she still held onto by the leash.

"We c-c-could go b-back." Looking up slightly, Tara could see how the other vampire was looking at her, her eyes absorbing every inch of her face. Unsure of what else to say, the blonde waited for the red-head's response.

"You're pretty." She finally said, her free hand reached out to touch the blonde's cheek. "Such a pretty girl."

"W-What?"

"I think you're pretty. Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty Kitty." The words left her mouth in a tone that seemingly made it sound like she was singing, the effect sending shivers down the girl's spine.

"Do you do this to Puppy?" Tara asked, saying 'Puppy' instead of 'Angel', even as her mind screamed not to.

"Sometimes. He's not as pretty as you." Tilting her head slightly, the red-head continued to move her finger over the girl's cheek, her thumb moving back and forth without end. Finally moving away slightly in order to get herself out of her captor's grip, Tara saw the change of emotion that quickly overtook Willow's eyes.

"Bad Kitty." Her hand still gripping the leash, the red-head frowned at her pet as she pulled the girl closer to her with a quick jerk. "You moved away when I was petting you."

"I'm s-s-sor….s-sorry." Continuing to stutter the words, the blonde vampire saw the emotions in her captor's eyes continuing to change, as if she were unsure as to what to feel. She had heard the whispers from the Minions about how sadistic Willow could be, had heard about the things she would do or say when angered. All of these things made more and more fear flow through her.

"Do I make you afraid?" A slight look of anger still on her face, the red-head moved her hand around the back of the other girl's neck, and gave it a small squeeze.

"Y-y-y-yes…"

"Good. I like seeing you afraid, Kitty." Her body starting to shake, Tara nevertheless kept staring into the red-head's eyes, her mind afraid of what would happen if she didn't. Her fingers toying with the collar around her pet's neck, Willow could feel the girl shaking underneath her grip, the effect she was having on her becoming instantly clear.

"P-p-p….p-p-p…" Her tongue feeling as if it were going to disappear down her throat, the blonde vampire continued to shake, making her captor start to smile.

"Come on, Kitty, out with it."

"P-p-ple-ase, d-don't be m-m-mad." Finally pushing the words out of her throat, the ensouled vampire felt her captor's grip on her neck begin to loosen, although her fingers continued to toy with the collar still wrapped around her neck.

"I'm not. You just did something wrong, that's all." Turning around, Willow started to walk, the other vampire falling into step due to the taunt leash attached to her collar. "Nothing the matches won't fix."

"W-What?" A new spike of fear shooting through her, Tara continued to follow her captor, unable to stop for even a moment.

"Matches let you know when you're bad. Ask Puppy, he knows."

* * *

As the other vampire tossed her into the cell, Tara heard the sound of the matches shaking around in the box as Willow grabbed them and brought them with her as she followed the blonde vampire into the cell.

"Come on, Kitty, lay down." Grabbing the first match that her fingertips came into contact with, the red-head stood still as the Minion behind her shut the cell-door. "Let's get this over with."

"B-b-b-but…I d-d-didn't do anything w-wrong…."

"Yes, you did. You moved away when I was petting you." Her hand moved in one swift motion, and the tip of the match erupted into flame. "You were bad."

"Do you really think this is necessary, Wills?" Peering in through the cell-bars, Xander made no move to unlock the door, even though the keys were only a few feet away from him. "How bad could she have been?"

"She didn't like me calling her a pretty Kitty." Frowning, Willow tossed the burning match to the floor, her pet squirming away from it in the process. "She wouldn't let me pet her."

"And so you're going to let her play with matches?"

"Look at you being the voice of reason." Turning away from her 'brother', the red-head caught sight of the blonde vampire starting to move back into the corner of the cell, much like she had done the day before.

"Come here, Kitty." Pulling another match out of the box, the vampire again lit it without hesitation, the flame illuminating part of her face. "I wanna hear you meow."

"_G-G-God…G-Goddess…." _The fear circulating through her making it nearly impossible to talk, Tara already knew the incantation in her mind, the words having been memorized so long ago. All that she had to do was push the words out of her mouth. _"P-Protect m-m-me…"_

"She knows Magick?" Xander asked, his interest once again perked.

"She's a smart Kitty." Dropping the flickering match to the ground, Willow stamped it out with her boot before starting to move slowly towards the blonde vampire still cowering in the corner. "She knows things."

"And you neglected to let me know about this _why_?"

"You didn't ask." Scowling, the red-head turned fully towards the other vampire, stopping in her stride. "She's_ mine."_

"Wills, don't you think the Big Man would want to know about this? You know how he is about keeping secrets."

"Kitty's mine, and I'm not going to share." Her hand shooting through the spaces in between the bars, the red-headed vampire wrapped her fingers around Xander's neck. _"Mine."_

"Easy, easy. Was only suggesting it."

"Whatever. _Leave."_ Releasing her grip on the other vampire, Willow watched with glaring eyes as Xander walked up the stairs and eventually disappeared from sight. Shifting her gaze to the Minion standing guard, the scowl almost dropped from her face as he moved away from her.

"_P-P-Protect m-me a-a-against a-all my…" _As she saw her captor turn towards her, the box of matches still held in her hand, Tara felt the wall press into her back once more as she tried to sink further into the structure._ "M-My….m-m-my…"_

"Poor Kitty, can't seem to talk?" Tilting her head, the vampire peered down at the blonde girl with a come-hither look in her eyes. "Come on, you can tell me."

"_M-My e-e-enemies…"_

"Does saying that make you feel safe? I'm all that you should need." Pouting, the red-head put her index finger against her chin. "Don't you love me?"

"H-H-How am I supposed to answer t-that?"

"You could say you love me, and that you want to be a good Kitty for me." Smiling, Willow's eyes took on a sense of child-like joy, something that made the other vampire think of someone who was insane. "That would make me happy, once we're done with the matches."

"Do you h-h-have to use t-them?"

"You were bad, Kitty, have you forgotten already?" The look of joy gone from her face, the red-head returned to frowning. "Can't have you not remembering when you were bad. You can't move away when I'm petting you."

"Please?" Her hopes hardly raised, the blonde vampire watched as her captor slowly shook her head.

"Nope. Just lay still and it'll be over. I promise." Kneeling down in front of her pet, the box of matches open and waiting, Willow watched as the other vampire hesitantly lay down onto her back at her captor's feet. Her body still shaking, Tara was silent as her eyes lingered on the match, even as the red-head pulled up the shirt covering her stomach.

"Just hold still. Only two." Her fingers tracing the still visible burn marks on the other vampire's stomach, Willow held the unlit match between her fingers. Inside the cell, everything had gone completely silent, with not even the sound of a rat scampering across the floor to be heard. The blonde vampire's eyes held nothing but unrestrained fear as she saw her captor light the match in one swift motion. "Just two, I promise."

As the first match dropped onto her exposed stomach, Tara couldn't stop herself for hissing in pain as the flame landed only inches away from an already existing burn. The match burned on for a few seconds before it extinguished itself, the still hot stick remaining on the vampire's otherwise cold skin.

"One down." Placing a kiss on the girl's forehead, Willow reached into the box and withdrew another match, holding it in front of the blonde's vampire's eyes and moving it back and forth in a slow motion. "One to go."

Within seconds, the match was lit and dangling in the air, the flame glowing in the darkness of the cell. As it hovered just above her skin, the blonde vampire refused to take her eyes off of it, even as she felt the other vampire's hands moving along the side of her stomach. Her nail tracing a pattern along her pet's skin, the red-head finally dropped the match. The flame landed on her stomach, the open flame sending waves of pain shooting through her body. Hissing once more in pain, the vampire felt every second slowly pass by until the fire burned itself out.

"There we go. All done." Setting the box of matches down, Willow's fingers began to trace patterns in between the burns on the other vampire's skin. "You were good, Kitty. You didn't try to move. Puppy tries to move when he's bad."

"Mistress?" As he said her name, the Minion almost felt like cowering as the red-head turned her gaze upon him.

"What? Kinda busy here." Her fingers refusing to lift from the other vampire's stomach, Willow frowned at the minion.

"The Master wishes to speak with you."


	2. Feeding

**Wow, thanks for the reviews on the last chapter :D That's more response than I thought I was going to get :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

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**Chapter 2**

As she walked through the packed floor of the Bronze, Willow could almost feel the entire tension in the air thicken as every living and undead pair of eyes turned towards herself and Xander. As two of the Master's 'favorite' childes, they commanded a certain kind of grudging respect amongst every other vampire that made its home within Sunnydale's borders. Rumors circulated around them, Willow in particular receiving some of the most blood-curdling ones. Most regarded the way she made 'pets' of those of her own kind that had somehow regained their souls. The majority of the rumors themselves were largely exaggerated, but the ones involving matches seemingly had become the most popular with each retelling.

Only giving a nod at the minion guarding the door that led to the Master's inner chambers, the two vampires made their way into the darkened hallway without any further delay. There were even fewer minions amongst the blood-colored walls than there were outside. A few screams continued to pierce through the air as one of the back-rooms came alive with the sound of flesh being pierced. There were numerous back rooms that housed a few of the more 'private' places in order to feed, although they were hardly used by anyone apart from those closest to the Master.

The door opened in front of them, revealing a room that contained no light whatsoever, apart from a single dimed light on the ceiling above.

"Ah, guests. Do come in, won't you?" As they entered the room, the two vampires could already make out the form of the Master as he rose to his feet from his 'throne'.

"Hello, Daddy." Smiling, Willow stood in place as the elder vampire made his way towards her.

"Ah, Willow, my dear. How are you?"

"Fine and happy."

"And how are your… _pets?"_ As his long fingers gently caressed her chin, the red-head almost found herself purring. "Good, I hope."

"Puppy and Kitty are fine, Daddy."

"Good. I hope that you play with them. Pets love attention, as I'm sure you already know."

"I do." As she felt his fingers leave her chin, the female vampire could almost feel Xander's anxiety behind her. He was always like this whenever the Master called them to him personally.

"What is it you wished to tell us, sire?" His hands folded behind his back, Xander stood only a few feet away from his 'sister', showing slightly more respect for the elder vampire than Willow did.

"Ah, yes. It would appear that some of our human 'guests' are starting to grow…_restless_. Make sure that they remember why they're afraid to walk after dark."

"You want us to play with them?" Smiling, the red-head felt a slight hunger beginning to grow inside her stomach.

"No, that's not what I had in mind. I was imagining something more along the lines of a…_demonstration."_

"No playing for me?" Frowning, Willow morphed her lips into a pout.

"Later, my childe, after-all, you have two pets to play with already." Turning away from the two younger vampires, the Master eased himself back into his chair. "Now, I believe you'll find a…_creative _way to accomplish this. I'd expect nothing less from the two of you."

"We're going to have fun with this, aren't we?" Smiling widely, the red-headed childe's eyes danced with a certain child-like quality to them.

"Oh, indeed you shall. Indeed you shall." Turning his gaze towards the other male vampire standing in the room, the Master flicked his hand towards the door. "Leave us."

As Xander left the room, Willow could already feel her sire's gaze upon her.

"Willow, the boy informed me that one of your…pets, has a gift for Magick…is there a reason you didn't bring this to my attention before now?"

"You didn't ask, Daddy." As she saw the elder vampire scowl at her, the red-head's mind quickly went to work at creating a proper excuse. "She doesn't know that much of it. One or two spells that don't do anything."

"Ah, a mere fledgling then. Perfectly understandable, given that there are a few of them in our midst that practice the ancient craft. I understand that you share a curious interest in such knowledge?"

"Maybe…" Biting the bottom of her lip in a surprisingly human expression, the childe smiled slightly. "That's not wrong, is it?"

"Not at all, although there can be danger in having too many of your own kind running around with such knowledge." Rising from his seat, the Master wrapped his hands around his back. "Too many threats, you might say."

"I wouldn't hurt you, Daddy." Pouting slightly, Willow moved her body slightly back and forth. "I'm not a threat."

"Of course you aren't, my dear. See to it that you remain that way." Returning to his chair, the elder vampire signaled for his childe to leave. Bowing before she made her way to the door, Willow felt the need to look back at her sire before she opened the door.

"Oh, and Willow…" Catching the girl's eye, the vampire curled his fingers underneath his chin. "Do try to keep your pets under control."

"I will, Daddy." Giving her sire one last smile, the red-head pushed open the door and exited out into the sparsely filled hallway. As she caught sight of where Xander was standing near the door that led out to the main area of the Bronze, she let every shred of anger that had been boiling up inside her begin to fill out her senses. Finally reaching where the other vampire was standing, she pulled him back and pressed him against the wall beside the two of them.

"Whoa, Wills, angry much?"

"You told Daddy about what Kitty can do." Scowling at him, Willow pressed her arm against the other vampire's throat in an attempt to stop him from trying to leave. "Why?"

"Would you have wanted him to find out some other way?"

"You could have not told him at all."

"Will you take it easy? He didn't tell you to get rid of her or anything, did he?" Finding his arms being pinned against the wall along with the rest of his body, Xander focused on staring into the other vampire's green eyes. "Did he?"

"No." Tilting her head slightly, Willow still retained her grip on her 'brother'.

"Then what's the big deal?"

"I told you. Kitty's mine. I'm not sharing."

"Ok, got it, no sharing. You're a no sharing person." Seeing that her point had been made, the red-head allowed him to remove himself from the wall. "Jeez, calm down."

"I'm going home." Leaving the other vampire's side without uttering another word, Willow made her way through the crowd that had gathered inside the building. She ignored the numerous screams from the human unfortunate enough to be brought in here, and only stopped in order to move an obviously recently-sired vampire out of her way. As she made her way out the door and into the blackened night, she felt some of the anger inside her melt away when she thought of the two pets waiting for her inside their cells.

* * *

"What's the matter, Puppy?" As she trailed her hands over the bars of the cells, Willow saw the pet starting to stir inside the walls that had held him for so long now. "Did you miss me?"

_"Stay away from her."_

"What?" Actually chuckling from pure amusement, the red-headed vampire stopped in her tracks as she watched the other vampire starting to move as close to the bars of the cell as he possibly could manage.

"Tara. Stay away from her. You want to torture someone? Torture me."

"Aww, are you jealous of the attention I'm giving Kitty, Puppy? You don't want me to play with her anymore?"

"Don't call her that. She's not your pet." Finally reaching as far as he could with the chain locked around his wrists, Angel felt his fist curling and uncurling as he continued to watch his captor smile at him. "If you've hurt her…"

"She was only bad once. The other time I wanted to hear her meow."

_"Willow…"_ As her name passed his lips, the male vampire felt her hand wrapping around his neck. Despite not having any physical effect on him, it forced his attention forward.

"That's not what you're supposed to call me, Puppy. You know that." Managing to slip his fingers through the bars, Angel dug his nails into the other vampire's cheek, letting himself smile as he saw and smelt the blood beginning to seep from the wound. Pushing the weaker vampire back into the wall behind him, Willow looked down at her pet with a look of distain adorning her face. "I'll have to punish you later."

As she turned to leave, the vampire stopped for a moment and gave a small grin at her pet.

"I think I like Kitty more than you."

* * *

"Wake up, Kitty." As she heard a voice whispering in her ear, Tara simply buried her head deeper into the jacket that she had been using as her make-shift pillow. The burns on her stomach still hurt, even in the closest thing to sleep that her body would allow, she could feel them.

"Come on, Kitten, time to wake up." Her cold fingers moving effortlessly across the other vampire's cheek, Willow smiled as she felt her pet stirring underneath her touch. She could still see the burn marks from the matches still slightly exposed on the girl's skin, a reminder of how bad she had been before. As she saw the blonde vampire open her eyes, she smiled. "Hi Kitty, I'm back."

As her mind shot back to the present, Tara was on her elbows in a moment's glance, her body pushing itself into the corner of the cell. Watching her pet squirm away from her, the red-headed vampire frowned.

"Don't you want to play with me, Kitty?" Taking a few steps towards the other vampire as she continued to push herself into the corner, Willow smiled. "I came straight back to see you."

"W-W-Were you w-watching me sleep?"

"Of course I was. You're pretty when you sleep." Tilting her head slightly, the vampire looked down at her pet. "What's the matter?"

"Please, I was good…" Chuckling slightly, the red-headed vampire shook her head as she interrupted the blonde vampire.

"No matches today. I just want to pet you." As she reached out in order to touch the other vampire's face, Willow again smiled as she felt her pet's cheek lean fully into her fingers. "Good Kitty."

Closing her eyes, Tara silently let the other vampire's fingers move across the side of her face, their motions surprisingly gentle. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember the last time someone had touched her with the same amount of softness. As her mind came up blank, she tried not to move, afraid of angering her captor like she had done the previous night. As if on cue, the burn marks that lay scattered across her stomach briefly lit up with pain before becoming subdued once more.

"Do you want to go for another walk tonight?" Her head still titled, Willow looked into the other girl's eyes and saw the slight hesitation her pupils contained. "Pretty please?"

"W-w-what about Puppy?"

"He was bad again today." Pointing to the already healing wound on her cheek, the red-head smiled. "So he's staying inside."

"A-Alright."

"Good Kitty." Pulling the leash out from seemingly nowhere, Willow leaned forward in order to properly see what she was doing. Closing her eyes, Tara tried to calm herself down. Her captor seemed to be in a happier mood that she had been in the previous night, despite the wound on her cheek. Finishing her task, the red-head began to stand up, her arm pulling her pet up with her.

"Remember, can't have you running away from me, that would mean you were bad. And if you're bad, that means what?"

"Matches." Saying the word without a barely hidden tone of fear behind it, Tara gathered her jacket up from the ground, even though she knew that it wouldn't be needed to protect her from the cold air of the night.

"Good pet." Smiling widely, Willow led the other vampire towards the open cell-door, and up the stairs, much like in the same manner as she had done the previous night. The rooms above the cells were more vacant than they had been last night, however, and even Xander was absent from his spot in front of the television.

"W-Where is everyone?" Finding enough courage inside her to ask, the blonde watched as her captor turned around and looked at her with her seemingly dancing green eyes.

"Daddy wanted us to make sure our meals didn't get too brave." Pouting slightly, the vampire reached out and touched the blonde's hair. "He said I couldn't play with any of them, so I came to see you."

"Oh?" _Lucky me… _

"Come on, outside." Pulling on the leash slightly, the red-head slapped the other vampire's ass as she came close enough. "Just don't run away."

* * *

_As the other vampire began to encircle her, Tara held out her hand in front of her, the words that guaranteed a fireball continuing to stutter on her tongue. _

"_Aww, can't talk?" A smile coming to her face as she spoke, Willow walked with a certain predator trait in each of her steps. "Poor baby." _

"_I-I-Inc-c-"_

"_You know…" Moving directly in front of the other vampire in the blink of an eye, the red-head wrapped her fingers around the blonde's throat and grabbed her wrist in one swift motion. "You're kinda cute." _

"_I-I-I-I…"As she kept stuttering, Tara felt her body actually trembling underneath the other vampire's grip. _

"_The Master wanted them alive, Wills. Don't dust her." Approaching his 'sister' as he talked, Xander looked down at his bloodied knuckles. There was no shred of doubt in his mind that there were other splashes of the red liquid over his body, considering that the other ensouled vampire hadn't wanted to go down without a fight. _

"_I wouldn't. She's pretty." Her eyes taking in every detail of the blonde vampire she held in her grip, Willow smiled. "I want her."_

"_She's lucky that the Master wants her alive and out of the picture. Otherwise she and the other one wouldn't be alive right now."_

"_Do you think Daddy would let me keep them as pets? I'm always bored and I need someone to play with."_

"_Maybe." _

"_I-Incentra-" Finally beginning to force the word out of her mouth, Tara felt the hand wrapped around her throat relinquish it's grip and move up to cover her mouth._

"_Bad girl." _

"_What was she saying? I don't understand Latin, but then again, we killed Mr. Cameron, so I doubt I ever will." _

"_She was swearing at us." Looking down at the red-headed vampire with a mixture of fear and shock in her eyes, Tara's mind struggled to comprehend what was going on. _Is she lying for me…no, she just doesn't want the Master to know…_ "She's a bad girl."_

* * *

As she and her captor walked along the otherwise deserted sidewalk, Tara could hear nothing but the sound of footsteps on the concrete below. The town's park was completely and utterly devoid of life. Where once there had been shouts of joy and displays of love and affection, there lay only the remnants of what had once been.

"You're thinking, Kitty. Tell me." As she stopped and turned around, Willow smiled at the other vampire as she held onto the leash tightly in her hand. "What do Kitties think about?"

"W-w-what happened here?"

"We made the world better. We can ride people like ponies if we want."

"But you don't feel bad?"

"I have nothing to feel bad about, Kitty. I'm happy." Making her way across the small space between the two of them, the red-headed vampire swayed her hips in an openly sexual way that her pet couldn't ignore. "I have you and Puppy."

"What do you mean?"

"Me and Puppy have fun sometimes. It gets him out of having to feel the matches." The smile on her face seemingly taking on another quality, the vampire reached out and pushed aside some of Tara's blonde hair. "We could do that too."

"W-w-what?"

"Doesn't Kitty want to have some fun?" Pressing herself against the blonde vampire, Willow continued to smile.

"Y-y-yes, b-but I…"

"You don't want to have fun with me?" Still standing only inches from the other vampire's face, the red-head frowned. "Why not?"

"I…I…"

"Am I not good enough?" As her fingers started to twirl Tara's hair, Willow grinned as she heard the other girl stuttering. "Come on, out with it."

"I-I-I…Y-you…"

"Alright, I think I know what you want, Kitty." Leaving no time for her pet to answer, the red-head pressed her cold lips against the other vampire's, her tongue virtually forcing itself into the blonde's mouth. Taken off-guard, Tara found herself with nowhere else to go, considering that her captor's hand made the leash around her neck go completely taunt. As she felt Willow's fingers gently take hold of her hair, the vampire closed her eyes, her body seemingly beginning to enjoy the feelings despite her mind screaming out at how wrong it was. The minutes passed by in what seemingly took hours to accomplish. As her brain became satisfied that she had virtually explored every single inch of the other vampire's mouth, Willow broke the kiss and loosened her grip on Tara's leash somewhat.

"There, feel better, Kitty Cat?" She asked, noticing how silent the other vampire had become since their lips had parted ways. "Did I give you what you wanted?"

"…N…"

"Do you still not think I'm good enough?"

"…No…Yes…N-No…" Her mind unable to decide on an answer, Tara could still feel the red-head's fingers still toying with her hair. "W-W-What do y-y-you want me to say?"

"You could say 'thank you'." Tilting her head slightly as she smiled, Willow could almost sense the conflict that continued to roll off of the other vampire in furious waves. She enjoyed seeing the other girl like this, considering that it showed that the Demon inside her was conflicting with the Soul that controlled her. "That would make me happy."

"T-Thank…you…" Saying the words in a barely audible voice, Tara wanted nothing more than to return to her cell and be left alone. The sensations her captor had made her experience had made her feel…_good_, but her mind had already begun its assault against her for allowing the other vampire to generate such an effect in her. Willow was evil, and she wasn't someone that should be turning her on…

"That's better. See, we can have fun, can't we, Kitty?" Letting her finger trace up to the healing wound on her cheek, the vampire could see that her pet was watching every little move she was making. As she cut open the wound on her cheek, Willow saw the slight thread of fear and hunger running through her pet's eyes. Placing her finger against the blood beginning to run down her cheek, the red-head withdrew the digit and held it out for the other vampire to see.

"Go on, drink." Smiling as she heard the blonde beginning to stutter, the red-head pushed her bloody finger against her pet's lips. "You look hungry."

As she felt her mouth beginning to water, Tara could smell the scent of the blood as it drifted up to her nostrils. Inside her stomach, the constant hunger for blood began to grow even more noticeable than it had been before. Her mind screamed not to accept the blood being offered, but as she smelled more and more of the liquid, her body begged for her to drink it. How long had it been since she had fed on anything but the blood from the rats inside her cell?

"Come on, drink up." Closing her eyes, Tara parted her lips and allowed her tongue to roll over the other vampire's bloody digit. As the blood rolled down her throat, the blonde felt her stomach begging for more. Her instincts taking over, the vampire's face morphed into its true form and she used the tip of one of her fangs to prick open her captor's finger. Her smile growing even wider, Willow stood still as she continued to let her pet drink from her.

Inside her, Tara could almost hear the demon mocking and laughing at her as she kept feeding on the finger in her mouth. Her soul and mind screamed at her to stop, but with the blood flowing down her throat continuing to fill her almost empty stomach, she ignored them and focused solely on the bloody finger in her mouth.

"Alright, that's enough, Kitty." As she started to pull the bloody digit out of her pet's mouth, Willow felt the other vampire's hand retaining its grip on her finger. "Kitty. _Now." _

Her stomach nearly full, the blonde felt something in her mind slip back into place as the demon became satisfied for a moment and 'allowed' the soul to regain control of the vampire's body. Realizing what she had been doing, Tara let go of her captor's finger and allowed the other girl to remove the digit from her mouth.

"Were you hungry, Kitty?" The cut on her finger already beginning to seal over, Willow tugged on her pet's leash, causing the other vampire to nearly fall into her grip.

"Y-y-y-yes." Her body starting to shake from the sensations of what she had experienced, the blonde vampire's face morphed back into its human guise. As she tried to move, the vampire found the leash still around her neck remaining taunt, forcing her to remain in her captor's grip.

"Poor Kitty." As her fingers began to glide over the other vampire's blonde hair, Willow smiled. "I'm a bad mommy, aren't I? I don't feed you enough." Nodding silently, Tara almost shivered as she still felt her captor's fingers moving through her hand, the cold fingertips touching almost each individual strand. "I can fix that."

"D-Don't kill a-a-anyone..."

"How else would I get your blood?"

"A-a-animals…" As she stuttered out the word, Tara felt a sharp pain course through her body as the other vampire curled her fingers around her hair and pulled her head back.

"_No." _Frowning at her pet, the red-head shook her head. "That's not right."

Looking back at her captor with true fear showing in her eyes, Tara couldn't tell whether or not the other vampire was thinking about matches.

"B-But…"

"No animal blood. That won't fill you up. It's not warm enough to make you all happy."

""I…I…I ca...I can't…"

"Then I just won't feed you."

_"Please…"_

"Tell me." Her fingers tightening their grip on the other vampire's hair, Willow looked into the blonde's eyes.

"I…I…I won't d-drink animal blood!" Her scalp almost burning with complete and pure pain, Tara nearly screamed out the sentence.

"Again."

"I won't drink animal blood!"

"Good, Kitty." Finally letting go of the blonde's hair, the red-head smiled. Continuing to stare at her captor with terrified eyes, Tara felt the pain in her scalp beginning to melt away as more and more fear poured into her veins. The slight anger that had taken center stage in the red-head's green eyes had calmed itself, being replaced only with a slightly subdued look.

"You look tired, Kitten." Still retaining her grip on her pet's leash, Willow's free hand continued to play with the other vampire's hair. "Did I tire you out?"

"N-N-No…" Even as she said the word, Tara could feel her body wanting to give out on her. Despite the fact that her body only required blood, she did feel tired. As the blood in her stomach continued to sit, its temperature matching that of her body, the blonde vampire felt her eyes starting to grow heavier and heavier.

"You don't have to lie." Still holding onto her pet, Willow ran her hand through the other vampire's hair once more. The sensations of the girl's hand in her hair having a somewhat calming effect on her, Tara found herself actually melting into her captor's grip. Realizing what she was doing, she tried to stop herself, but her tired body refused to obey her commands. Mentally berating herself, the ensouled vampire finally closed her eyes, and rested her head against her captor's leather clad shoulder.

"See, I knew you were tired, Kitty." Chuckling slightly, Willow continued to play with her pet's hair. "I can tell when you're lying to me."

The words to a response coming to her lips, Tara found herself unable to voice them. As she continued a losing battle to stay awake, the vampire finally felt the entire world slipping away around her.


	3. The Room

**Again, thanks for the reviews last chapter :) They are always appreciated :D**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"Poor Kitten." As she ran her fingers through the other vampire's blonde hair, Willow smiled, already knowing the effect she was having on the girl. "You're always so tired."

"W-W-Where...am I?" Opening her tired blue eyes, Tara tried to look at her surroundings, but found herself unable to fully do so. She could feel her captor's fingers moving through her hair, the cold digits matching the temperature inside her almost perfectly. The walls around her were dramatically lighter than what the cell had offered her, and the lights that lay on the ceiling above were almost the same in the way they cast light across the room.

"My room. I thought maybe you'd like to sleep somewhere else besides the cell. You've been better than Puppy has." Still smiling, the red-head's fingers drifted down to the other vampire's neck and began to trace a distinct pattern on the skin. "He's never been up here."

Despite the numerous questions running through her mind, the ensouled vampire found herself unable to voice them due to the hunger running through her stomach. Despite the blood that she had been fed last night, it hadn't been nearly enough to satisfy her Demon's needs. Her senses had been tempted last night from the blood that Willow had given her, but it had come from a cold body, and as such, had done almost nothing for her.

"You're hungry again, aren't you, Kitten?" Propping herself up onto her hand, the smile on Willow's face dimmed slightly as she continued to run a hand down along her pet's neck. "You're always hungry."

"Y-Yes." Unable to stop herself from voicing the answer, Tara found herself shuttering as the red-headed vampire's fingers seemingly were able to make her feel even colder.

"I could feed you again."

"I'm f-fine." Smiling, her captor looked down at the other vampire.

"Remember what I said about when you lie?" Her fingers still moving along the other girl's neck, Willow leaned down slightly. "I always know."

Nodding nervously, Tara felt something wet trail along her neck. Shivering from how her body felt from the way her captor's tongue ran along her skin, the vampire tried to move slightly as her still exhausted body began to spring to life. As her mind started to become fully aware of what was around her, the blonde vampire noticed something locked around her wrist.

"Couldn't have you going anywhere." Slipping her tongue silently back into her mouth, Willow's fingers resumed their caress of her pet's neck. "I know how much you want to be a bad kitty."

Remaining silent, Tara moved her arm slightly, and as she heard the chain connected to the bed rattle slightly, she closed her eyes as her body actually started to tremble. Despite where she was, she didn't feel the same sense of overwhelming fear that she had felt the night before, although fear still rushed through her undead veins. Her mind was fully awake by now, but her tired body hindered her thought process.

Removing her hand from the other vampire's body, Willow pressed her palm to her mouth. As her face morphed into its vamperic form, the red-head bit down onto her waiting skin, her fangs effectively breaking said skin and sending some of her own blood into her mouth. Smelling the unmistakable scent of blood drift into her senses, Tara lifted her head from the pillow underneath her and turned towards the other vampire.

"Here." Presenting the bleeding palm to her pet, the red-head changed her face back into its human guise. "I couldn't bring you anyone, so I'll be a good mommy and feed you."

Greedily taking the offered palm, the blonde vampire pressed it to her mouth and began to lap up the blood leaking out from her captor's bite. As the copper taste flowed down her throat, Tara's face morphed into its true form and her fangs scrapped along the red-head's previous bite. Her free hand moving through the blonde's hair, Willow chuckled slightly. It amused her to see and feel the other vampire so desperate for blood that she was even willing to take it from another vampire. It reminded her slightly of how she herself had felt on the night she had first risen after being sired.

Still feasting on the blood oozing out of the bite on her captor's palm, Tara closed her eyes and held onto the limb in front of her. Inside her, the Demon greedily accepted the blood and smiled as its hunger began to subside once more.

"Alright, enough." Pulling her palm away from the other vampire, Willow could almost sense the disappointment her pet was feeling. "You can have more later if you're good."

Wiping the blood off of her palm as she rose from the bed, the red-head saw her pet licking her lips. Her eyes following her captor as she walked towards the door, Tara's blue eyes held a small fragment of the fear and relief that they had held once before.

"W-Where are y-y-you going?"

"To see Daddy." Casting a smile at the girl still lying chained to the bed, Willow turned out the light within the room. "Be good."

As she heard the door shut in the darkness her eyes had rapidly grown adjusted to, Tara rested her head back against the pillow beneath her. Running a finger along her blood-stained lips, she felt somewhat better knowing that there was once again blood in her stomach. The pangs that accompanied the hunger dying off, she closed her eyes and tried to rest her otherwise exhausted body.

* * *

"You want to do _what?" _As he rose from his throne, the Master kept his eyes on the childe standing in front of him.

"I want to make Kitty bad." Her green eyes seemingly glowing in the dim lighting of the room, Willow smiled wide.

"You mean remove her soul." As he paced slightly, the elder vampire said the question more as a statement. "Ah, but why?"

"She'd be more fun. Plus Puppy wants another playmate." Pouting slightly, the red-head swayed her body left and right. "I want Kitty to have fun with me."

"Ah, I see. Unleashing the ensouled upon each other. It has a certain sense of poetic justice to it, doesn't it?" Returning to his seat, the Master curled his fingers underneath his chin. "One being hurt by the single thing closest to what it is. Truly poetic."

"Thank you, Daddy." Smiling widely, Willow felt a certain sense of pride running through her from hearing her sire compliment her. "Could you tell me how to do that though?"

"But then we arrive at a problem, my dear child. Many things have I seen over the course of my existence, but the way to remove a soul is one thing that has seemingly eluded my eyes and ears."

"Then you don't know?" Frowning, the red-head sighed. "But you know everything, Daddy."

"Knowledge is power, my dear Willow, remember that. There are those that possess it, share it, spread their gained knowledge, and are later undone by it. And then there are those that learn, but remain silent, taking their secrets with them wherever they so go."

"Do you know someone who may know how to fix Kitty?"

"Perhaps. But she is beyond my reaches of calling forth." Letting his hand drop to the arm of the chair, the Master's eyes met the other vampire's and held their gaze. "Do you know anything about vengeance demons, child?"

* * *

As she opened the door to her room, Willow smiled as she flicked on the light and engulfed the room into brightness. She hadn't expected to find her pet awake and about, considering that the other vampire had literally slept through both the remainder of the previous night and the day so far. After her pet had fallen asleep in her arms, the red-headed vampire had decided against locking the girl back in her cage. After all, she had been good on the walk, and had accepted the blood that had been offered to her. Her Kitten deserved a reward for being good.

"Kitty, I'm back." As she saw the other girl dazedly lift her head from where she lay surrounded by a few of the various spell-books that she had managed to collect, Willow smiled with a small predatory trait to the gesture. "Were you busy?"

Realizing that she had fallen asleep with the discovered spell-books still lying around her, Tara's blue eyes lit up with fear.

"I'm s-s-sorry, I…" Unable to push the rest of the words out of her mouth, the blonde vampire pressed her body as far in the backboard of the bed as she could possibly manage with the chain still locked around her wrist.

"You were being curious, weren't you?" Still smiling, Willow slowly and seductively made her way over to the bed. "You didn't want to wait for me to read to you?"

Her tongue feeling as if it were going to disappear down her throat, Tara watched as her captor picked up the closest spell book and looked at the page her pet had been reading before sleep had claimed her. Rolling her eyes, the red-head gave a false yawn before closing the book.

"Bored now." Tossing the book onto a nearby table, Willow was on-top of the other vampire within seconds. Her back still pressed against the back-board of the bed, Tara remained completely still as her captor effectively straddled her. "How curious are you, Kitten?"

"I…" Her tongue feeling like it was rolling up inside her mouth as she tried to speak, the blonde tried to look away but felt a pair of cold hands take hold of her chin and turn it so she was looking into the pair of green eyes lying on a few inches from her face.

"You can tell me." Tilting her head slightly, the red-head continued to smile. "You can tell me anything you want. I'll listen."

"I…A-A…A l-little…" Her body starting to tremble again underneath the other vampire's touch, Tara closed her eyes.

"Aw, don't hide your pretty blue eyes from me." Frowning, Willow moved her hand up to the other vampire's cheek. "I like seeing them."

Keeping her eyes closed, the blonde felt her captor's hand disappear from her cheek before she felt a sharp pinch on her rib. The action causing her to open one of her eyes, Tara saw the vampire in front of her smile.

"There they are." As quickly as it had appeared, the smile faded and gave way to another frown. "You don't squeak when I pinch you though. Puppy squeaks."

"S-Sorry." Closing her eyes again, Tara felt the other vampire's hand pinch her again.

"Come on, I want to see your eyes. You're being bad, Kitty. You remember what happens when you're bad, don't you, Kitten?" Her hand tracing up her pet's body until her finger's reached the blonde's cheek, Willow frowned. "And I don't have matches here, so I'd have to be a bad mommy and think of something else."

Not wanting to even try and imagine what her captor could think up, Tara slowly opened her eyes.

"There we go. You're not hiding anymore." Leaning back onto her ankles, Willow's eyes trailed along the other vampire's body, her green irises taking in every individual detail of the girl's figure. "Apart from those dirty clothes you're wearing."

"W-What?"

"You don't look like you want to be bad." Tilting her head slightly, the red-head's eyes dropped down to the dirt-stained clothing her pet was dressed in. "You want to be bad, I can tell."

Her fingers drifting down in order to trace the other vampire's neck once more, Willow's green eyes continued to absorb every inch of the girl's body as she leaned in closer. "That icky soul is what's stopping you."

"I-It's n-not…"

"You tell so many lies, don't you, Kitten? Does that make you feel bad?" Moving her fingers back to the blonde's cheek, the red-head rested her other hand on the girl's thigh. "Make you feel naughty?"

"B-B-But…"

"That's why you were looking at the books. You wanted to be bad for me." With her captor's green eyes still lying only inches away from her face, Tara almost closed her own eyes before realizing what could happen if she did. "Didn't you?"

Shaking her head somewhat furiously, the blonde heard the other vampire sigh.

"You lie so much. That's not good." Frowning, the red-head leaned back as she started to get back onto her feet. "You're so good, but so bad. You can't decide, can you?"

Again, the blonde nodded her head. Seeing the reaction, Willow frowned even more.

"But I want you to be _all_ bad."

Remaining silent, Tara watched as the other girl disappeared into a room off to the side of the bedroom itself. Watching the door that the other vampire had disappeared into, the blonde heard something akin to running water echo out into the room. After minutes of waiting, her captor emerged back into the room.

"Go clean yourself up, Kitty." Her hands quickly undoing the chain that connected the shackle to the bed, Willow saw the other vampire looking up at her with a slightly confused look on her face. "I'm going to bring you something later."

* * *

Her eyes still closed in an attempt to gather more sleep to her slightly exhausted body, Tara felt somewhat warmer considering that a shower and a change of clothes had been given to her. It seemed awkward to have something new covering her, considering that in the past months that she had been within the Master's minions' clutches, she had worn the same clothes numerous times over, considering that it hadn't truly mattered who had seen her. And yet, her captor…_Willow, yes, that's her name_… had given her both a change of clothing and blood in short order within only two or three days of starting to pay attention to her.

_Why is she toying with me like this? _That seemed to be the million dollar question, considering that it was the only one she could possibly ever seem to ask herself. Every single second she spent in this room, she wondered what the other vampire was going to do with her, other than tease her and treat her like some kind of pet. Anything was better than feeling untold amounts of fear every time the red-head so much as looked at her with those penetrating green eyes…even with her eyes closed, Tara could picture them staring at her.

The burns on her stomach had finally managed to heal, but the memory of how the flames had scorched her skin haunted her, and in a way, they still managed to make her skin burn. From where her cold skin lay beneath the leather clothing that Willow had given her, she felt warmth. Pulling her knees up to her chest, the vampire continued to lay with her eyes closed within the darkened room. Even without a single source of light within her reach, she could see each and every shape that surrounded her.

As the sound of the door knob turning began to echo through the room, she opened her eyes and looked down towards the only entrance to the entire room. Her ears already perked to whatever or whoever may lay behind the door, Tara waited for it to open.

"Kitten, I'm home." Walking through the door with something held underneath her grip, Willow flicked on the light, ending the darkness' reign over the room. "And I brought you a present."

"W-What?" Pushing herself nervously back onto her feet, the blonde pushed a few strands of her hair out of her eyes in order to see better.

"I brought you dinner." As she threw the whimpering body she was holding to the floor, Willow could already see the way her pet was looking at the gift that she had brought her. "Go on, Kitten, eat up."

Her words causing the girl on the floor to whimper even more, the red-head smiled. "She's _fresh."_

"Oh, god, please help me…" Her terrified hands reaching out and grabbing the blonde vampire's ankles, the girl looked up at where Tara was standing with her wrist chained to the nearby bed. "Please…"

"W-w-w…." Her voice audibly cracking, Tara looked at the red-head as she stood over the crying girl with a small smile still on her face.

"What's the matter? I thought you said you were hungry."

"I-I a-a-am, b-but…"

"I told you no more animal blood, remem…_oh…" _Pausing as she realized the way her pet was looking at her, Willow smiled . "You want _me_ to feed you, don't you?"

Closing her eyes, Tara slowly found herself nodding, even despite what her mind continued to tell her body.

"Does the poor Kitten want her mommy to feed her?" Tilting her head slightly, the red-head stepped over the girl lying beneath her and made her way over to the other vampire. "Is that what you want?"

As she nodded again, Tara felt her captor wrap her cold arms around her waist.

"But I can't do that forever. You get greedy." Making the other vampire sway with her, Willow rested her head against the girl's shoulder. "So come on, drink from her."

"C-Can't…" Forcing the word out of her mouth with an intense internal struggle, Tara closed her eyes. "P-P-Please, don't m-make me d-d-do this…"

"But you're hungry." Moving her hand up in order to rub it against the blonde's stomach, the red-head smiled. "I can feel your tummy rumbling."

Tara's body physically shivered as the red-head's hand moved over her stomach in a somewhat gentle fashion. As she felt the whimpering girl's hands leave her ankles, she forced herself to open her eyes and look down at her. Whatever had occurred outside of the room had obviously scared her somewhat, considering the exposed parts of her skin, the combination of small drops of dried blood and dirt that had stained that skin, and the ripped portions of her clothing. In combination to the mixture of dirt and blood, tears also stained the girl's face.

"I went out and found her for you. Imagine all that blood inside of her, nice and warm. It can fill up that tummy of yours." Her hand still rubbing against Tara's stomach, Willow pressed her cheek against the other vampire's face. "Don't you want that?"

Nodding again, Tara felt the other vampire's hand disappear from around her waist as her captor's hand took hold of her wrist and removed the chain from the shackle.

"Go on then, be a good Kitty, and drink up." Giving her pet a small push, Willow watched as the blonde moved towards the girl still lying on the floor. As she stood over the crying girl, Tara saw the way her eyes looked up at her with a small glimpse of hope in their pupils.

"Please, just let me go home…" Her tired and fear-drenched voice emerging from her lips, the girl looked entirely broken as she continued to look up at her. "Please…"

Unsure of what to say, Tara remained silent, her blue eyes looking down at the girl with a twinge of sadness drenching their color.

"I know what could make this easier for you." Stepping around her pet, Willow smiled as she brought the girl up onto her feet. Holding the girl's neck in one hand, the red-head's face changed into that of its vampire form, and she promptly bit down on her own free palm. As a few drops of red blood flowed from the bite and fell to the ground below, the blonde's heart would have jumped a few beats, had it been beating.

"Here you go." Smearing the blood on her palm over the crying girl's neck, Willow let go of her and pushed her towards where her pet was standing. "Momma's blood is still on her."

As she caught the girl as she was pushed towards her, Tara could already feel the demon inside her beginning to work its way into control. Her eyes unable to drift their gaze away from the smeared red blood on the girl's neck, she saw the overwhelming amount of fear sinking into the brown eyes looking at her. As her Soul gave a final cry in her mind, the Demon took over and looked at the girl in front of her. Her face transforming into its true guise, the blonde vampire peered down at the girl with her yellow eyes. Struggling to get out of the vampire's grip, the girl found the hands holding her to be as solid as stone.

Biting down on the portion of the girl's neck that held the still the wet blood from Willow's palm, Tara could almost hear the demon inside of her laughing at her as the girl's blood flowed down her throat and began to pool inside of her stomach. Underneath her grip, the girl gave a small scream of pain before the room fell silent. Her prey's struggles finally beginning to subside, the blonde vampire felt everything in the world around her disappearing as her mind focused solely on the liquid flowing down into her stomach.

The amount of time that passed was seemingly meaningless as the vampire finally drained the last possible drop of blood from the girl's body. Dropping the lifeless body to the ground below, the Demon inside the vampire once again retreated back into the back of her mind as the Soul regained enough strength in order to retake the mind it possessed. Her vamperic face changing back into its human form, Tara shook her head for a moment as she looked around the room, seemingly unable to remember what had just occurred.

"There, don't you feel better, Kitty? Your belly is all nice and full." Smiling, Willow strolled over to the other vampire, her hips swaying back and forth in the process.

"W-What did I d-d-do?" Her eyes finally finding the body on the floor beneath her, Tara's brain collected the necessary memories of images and sensations to realize what had just occurred. The copper taste of blood in her mouth only adding to the realization, the vampire took a few steps back until she felt the sturdiness of the wall meet her back.

"It's alright, Kitten. I fed you." Stopping as she reached her pet, Willow smiled and ran her finger along the blonde' blood-stained lips. "You're a picky eater."

"I d-didn't m-mean to…" Closing her blue eyes, Tara found the images in her head firmly rooted to their place. Unable to stop them from replaying over and over again as remorse flowed through her veins, the vampire felt the red-head's hands on her, but she didn't push them away.

"You made it quick for her though. She didn't feel anything. It was like going to sleep." Whispering the words into the blonde' s ear, Willow moved her fingers down the other vampire's back until they rested at the center of her spine. "Does that make you feel better?"

"N-No." Shaking her head, Tara felt like crying but with great effort, she managed to stifle them, if only for the moment.

"Is Kitten sad?" Asking the question with the closest thing to sincerity she could possibly muster, Willow led the other girl back towards the bed. Nodding in response to the question, the other vampire heard the distinct clicking of the chain being reattached to the shackle around her wrist, but her brain refused to let her focus on it.

"W-W-Why did y-you make me d-d-do that?" As the soft mattress met her body, Tara felt her captor's hands remain on her.

"You were hungry. No animal blood, remember?" Looking down at her bloody palm, Willow wiped the drying liquid off onto her leather pants. "And you couldn't have any more of my blood."

"I k-killed her…" Unable to stop the tears from flowing down her face any longer, the blonde turned towards the other cold body next to her and buried her head into the red-head's shoulder. Her hand moving through the vampire's hair, Willow allowed her pet to cry into her clothing, knowing that it was the Soul that was making the vampire feel like this.

"It had to be like this." Finally breaking the chain of silence that flooded into the room, the red-head moved the girl's head away from her shoulder. "You had to be fed. I couldn't be bad and let you starve."

"I…killed her…" Saying the words as if she still had trouble believing them, Tara felt the other vampire press her head back against the pillow that still held the imprint of her head from the numerous hours previous that she had lain against it.

"It's alright. That icky soul will be gone soon." Looking down at the blonde vampire, Willow leaned down and kissed her forehead before getting back onto her feet. As she crossed the room, the vampire could hear her pet continuing to cry behind her. "Then you'll feel better."

"W-Wha-" Starting to speak, Tara found the other vampire turning around to look at her. The word effectively dying on her tongue, the blonde closed her eyes.

"Just go back to sleep." Retrieving a small object from the stand that lay in a small corner of the room, Willow returned to the bed and pressed it against the girl's neck. Opening her eyes, Tara looked down at the somewhat cold piece before realizing it was necklace. "You're going to meet Daddy later."

"W-" Barely even having begun to speak, the vampire caught the other demon's green eyes and fell silent once more.

"Sleep." Closing her eyes, Tara felt the vampire's hand moving through some of the hair that hung around her face before her body called out to her to rest. It had been so long since she had been properly fed that her body was still having trouble accepting the blood that lay inside of her. As her mind felt reality slipping away, the sheets and pillow beneath her began to effectively swallow her body until she finally felt as if she were floating on nothing but air.

As she pulled the necklace away from the other vampire's neck, Willow looked at it before setting it down and pressing another one to the girl's neck in order to see if she liked how it looked. Sighing, she continued the process as she sorted through the assorted pieces she had brought with her.

"Stupid soul ruining my Kitty."


	4. Storyteller

**Sorry for the wait. Considering that this chapter is over 5,000 words, hopefully it will make up for it XD**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. **

* * *

**Chapter 4**

As they moved through the crowded floor of the Bronze, Willow knew that her pet's grip on her hand wouldn't be loosened anytime soon. Tara had barely been awake for an hour when they had left, and throughout the entire walk to the vampire stronghold, she had been able to smell the fear pouring off of the other vampire. Nearly intoxicated with that emotion, the red-headed vampire moved over the floor with a dance-like quality to her steps. Following as close behind as she could manage, Tara kept her eyes focused solely on her captor's back.

A few eyes within the Bronze turned to stare at the new arrival and her pet, but most avoided meeting the red-head's eyes, the rumors having made them think otherwise.

"Remember, don't run away from me." Turning her head in order to address the blonde vampire, Willow's green eyes glowed slightly from the bright lights over-head. Nodding only slightly, Tara continued through the crowd as quick as she could manage with the other vampire's hand still gripping hers. As they made their way towards one of the back rooms that had once been considered to be the back-stage area, the ensouled vampire only felt more fear racing through her. To anyone's glance, she appeared to be a normal vampire, with the leather clothing and pale complexion serving to further the point, but an elder vampire would not be fooled by simple exterior looks. The Master, the vampire whom Willow called her 'Daddy', would almost instantly be able to pick up on the soul controlling her mind.

"It's alright, Kitten. Daddy doesn't bite." Sensing the fear still running through the blonde vampire's veins, Willow smiled at her as the two of them stopped in front of the door that no doubt led to the Master's inner chambers. "Unless you're bad."

Her gaze falling back to the ground, Tara felt the other vampire's hands find their way into her hair.

"You'll be good for him, won't you, Kitty?" Still smiling, the red-head continued to toy with the bottom strands of her pet's blonde hair. Nodding her answer, Tara forced herself to look at the vampire still holding her hand. Smiling in response, Willow's green eyes lit up for a moment. "Good, Kitten."

As the guard stationed at the entrance to the back rooms saw her coming, he moved aside, already knowing that she was allowed to come and go as she pleased. He spared one gaze on Tara before his eyes returned to the ground that filled out the room just beyond where he stood. Pulling her pet into the hallway with her, the red-headed vampire continued until both she and Tara were standing outside an inconspicuous door. Knocking on the door, Willow heard the unmistakable voice of her sire telling her to enter.

Pushing the door open, Willow pulled Tara into the room. The room itself was drenched in darkness, apart from the few lights that had long since begun to dim. The only sounds that echoed within the room were those of the two vampire's footsteps on the combination of carpet and bare concrete. The things that filled the room were a mixture of objects and furniture with a gothic feel to them and things that had apparently been there before the takeover of the town on the night of the Harvest.

"Ah, there you are, Willow. I was beginning to wonder when you would arrive."

"Hi Daddy." Resisting the urge to rush over and hug her sire, Willow smiled. "I brought Kitty with me."

"I see." Rising out of his seat, the Master slowly made his way over to where the two vampires were standing. Watching him approach her, Tara closed her eyes as she could almost feel the elder vampire's eyes tearing into her with a sense of curiosity. Stopping only a few feet from where his childe's pet stood, the Master took in the other vampire.

"And this is the one who was captured along with Angelus?"

"Yep, she's more fun than Puppy though." Watching her sire look over the other vampire, Willow's smile refused to fade from her face. "Isn't she pretty?"

"That_ soul_ ruins her somewhat." Nearly spitting the word 'soul', the Master returned to his throne and gestured towards a pair of cushions lying near the seat. "Please, take a seat. Entertaining guests is a custom that I'm afraid has been lost in the past decades. Each new century takes a little bit of the customs of old."

"Come on, Kitty." Giving the girl a small push, Willow moved towards the spot where her sire had gestured to. Following the other vampire's lead, Tara moved towards the same spot, although her steps were filled with a barely hidden amount of dread. In only minutes, the elder vampire had hurtled the word 'soul' at her as if it were her name. Her mind screamed at her to try and run, even though it most likely wouldn't get her farther than the door before either Willow or even the Master himself caught her and dragged her back.

"Still, your pet does pose interest to me, dear Willow. I thank you for bringing her for a visit." Resting himself back into his throne, the Master looked at both of the younger vampires with a genuine interest lining his eyes.

"I-I-Interest?" Forcing the word out of her mouth despite the fear of what could come from it, Tara waited for a violent reaction, although one never came.

"Ah, so she can speak then." Chuckling, Willow traced her fingers up Tara's arm.

"Of course she can, she's just shy. Say hi to Daddy, Kitten."

"H-H-H…H-Hel…" Her stutter sinking back into her voice, Tara closed her mouth and looked down at the floor beneath her. Looking at her pet with a sad look adorning her face, Willow's fingers moved to the girl's cheek.

"Don't be shy, Daddy wants to talk to you." Looking up, the blonde vampire waited for some kind of affirmation from her captor's sire.

"Oh course, manners. It would seem that my dear childe hasn't told you of why I have called the both of you to me." Resting his hand atop his knee, the elder vampire sat satisfied that he had both vampires' attentions. "It would seem that you were not like Angelus. Whereas he had the soul forced upon him for his own actions, you, however, appear to be a mystery that has yet to be solved."

"W-W-What d-do you m-mean?"

"Your origins are a mystery to any of my usual sources for the information required when ruling over a Hellmouth. _Enlighten us."_ Finding herself at a loss for words, the blonde vampire's gaze once more fell to the ground.

"Go on, Kitty, it's alright. Tell Daddy who your mommy and daddy are." Her hand rubbing the back of her pet's neck, Willow's green eyes remained locked on Tara's face. "It's alright."

Trying to make herself stop shaking, Tara looked at her captor's sire, and tried to find the words to explain what it was that the two other vampires wanted to hear.

* * *

_As she made her way up the driveway towards the house, Tara Maclay sighed. Her mind had already speculated on what_ _would be awaiting her once her father set eyes on her once more. It had only been a few hours since the screaming had started, and in usual fashion, she had fled out of the house and made her way into town. She hadn't done anything, hadn't spoken to anyone, but had simply just walked through the sparse and quiet streets, completely absorbed into her own thoughts. She may have stopped once or twice in order to rest her aching feet, but she always kept going. She knew what lurked in the darkness of the world, and she didn't need to be introduced to any of them face-to-face. _

_There were no lights on inside the house, which was strange, considering the fact that anytime she fled from the house, her father and brother waited up for her. The action was not one made out of love, but simply because they loved a rematch. Any chance to rub in the fact that she was destined to become a Demon was taken by her brother, who's only relation to her was name alone. Tara took small faith in that belief, that her mother had been abducted by another family, and taken away from those that loved her._

_Resting for just one minute before she opened the door, Tara closed her eyes and prepared herself for the shouts and screams that would no doubt be hurtled at her as soon as she set foot in the house itself. As she opened the door, she pushed the wooden object open slowly in order to avoid making any unnecessary noise. The house itself was completely drenched in darkness, and not a single sound made its way through the air. _

_Taking a few caution filled steps into the house itself, the blonde Wiccan looked down at her barely visible feet in order to make sure she was stepping across the more sturdy floor-boards. She knew exactly which ones squeaked, and which ones didn't. If anyone was asleep in the house, she wouldn't run the risk of waking them up. From inside the living room, she heard something heavy hit the floor with a thud and then all was silent once more. Deciding to see if everything was alright, the young Maclay slowly creeped her way into the living room, and with a final deep breath, flipped on the nearest light switch. What greeted her eyes was something that no amount of preparation could have prepared for her._

_It was the red color that had coated the usually white walls that first gripped her attention. The color nearly overwhelming her eyes, her gaze then fell down to the three bodies lying on the floor, completely surrounded by pools of their own blood. She was barely able to recognize the faces, but she knew somewhere deep inside of her that they were those of her family. Her mind unable to fully comprehend what she was seeing, the blonde Wiccan felt her feet moving beneath her, but she didn't remember the urge to move away. The mere sight of the blood that lay virtually painted on the walls of the house were all that continued to fill her eyes. _

"_Well, well, well, what do we have here?" From somewhere behind her, a figure took hold of her. Her voice erupting into a scream, Tara felt something cold cover her mouth, muting the wordless scream. "Look Spikey, a lone birdy."_

"_You want her, or can I take a bite?" Moving out of the kitchen, another figure emerged. _

"_Ah, there's such power in the little birdy though, can't you feel it?" Her heart threatening to erupt out of her chest, the blonde girl tried to squirm her way out of the being's grip, but found her efforts to be all in vain. "It would be a shame to waste such lovely and powerful blood."_

"_What are you saying, love? You want her as a pet?"_

"_No, she's too pretty for that. I was thinking of giving her a gift." Her fear-drenched mind just starting to put together what was happening, Tara realized what was holding her. Her mother had told her of vampires before her death, and the stories that her mind still held haunted her dreams at night. "Making her young forever."_

"_You want to sire her then?" As he came closer to where Drusilla was holding the terrified girl, Spike smiled. There was blood covering his lips, but he showed no sign of wiping the liquid off anytime soon. "Don't know what you sensing, but if it makes you happy."_

_Removing the hand that was covering Tara's mouth, Drusilla turned the girl around to face her. Her breathing come out in inconsistent paces, the blonde Wiccan continued to struggle against the vampire's grip. _

"_There, there dearie, It'll only hurt for a minute." Her face already in its true form, Drusilla offered the girl a smile. "Just a teeny minute…" _

* * *

_As she opened her eyes, Tara felt nothing but a distinct hunger running through every inch of her body. It was unlike anything else she had ever experienced, and as she pushed herself up out of the bed that she had been laid upon, that feeling filled her eyes with a blood red color. Every single thought became pushed towards making the pain inside of her go away. _

"_The birdie is awake, Spike. Doesn't she look beautiful?" Turning her head as a familiar voice filled out her hearing, Tara saw two figures emerge out of the shadow directly off to her right. _

"_Don't know why you wasted so much effort on this one, but, bloody hell, I won't deny that it was fun killing off her family." The scent of a burning cigarette coming to her nostrils, the blonde Wiccan's hand flew to her neck. Feeling the two puncture marks underneath her palm, the newly sired vampire's mind continued to think only of the hunger that burned her stomach. _

"_How are you feeling dearie?"_

"_Hungry." _

"_Can't say I'm surprised." Taking one last drag of his cigarette, Spike tossed the object to the ground and stamped it out with his boot. "Damn hunger comes with the package."_

"_Why don't we find the birdie a nice cat to eat?" Looking at her childe with joy that only someone who was insane could hold in her eyes, Drusilla eased herself closer to Spike. "Pretty please, Spikey?" _

"_Guess we have to. Damn bird probably won't shut up until we do." Turning his attention towards the newly risen vampire, Spike shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. "Come on then, still enough moonlight to grab a small bite."_

* * *

As she finished the story, Tara closed her blue eyes and waited for an answer that her mind couldn't predict. Everything inside the room was utterly silent.

"Drusilla, you say?" Finally speaking, the Master curled his fingers underneath his chin. "One of my own's children."

"So you are related to me." Smiling with a childlike joy, Willow curled herself further into her pet's side. "My Kitten's blood is mine."

"Not directly, my childe." Still remaining almost perfectly still, the Master finally began to rise from his seat. "But still, close enough."

As she saw the elder vampire get onto his feet, Tara moved back slightly, the barely restrained fear inside of her returning in full force. The Master had barely spoken to her in the past hour, and now that she was able to catch a full glimpse of the single vampire who controlled the entire town, and every vampire within its limits.

"And yet, she stands here with a soul." His eyes fixing upon her, the elder vampire smiled slightly. "Tell us, how exactly did one receive such a thing? Surely you didn't drink it out of your prey."

Chuckling as she heard her sire's dry joke, Willow's head remained in her pet's lap, her red-hair scattering across the other vampire's pants. For the second time in the past hour, she had noticed the way that her captor's persona had changed slightly from what it was when it was just the two of them in the same room. The Willow she saw here was more child-like in the way she talked and reacted.

"It w-w-was g-given to m-me."

"Ah, a gift of a human trait. Tell me you kept the receipt." Again laughing at the joke, the red-head snuggled her head into Tara's leather-encased leg. "Please, enlighten us with the tale."

* * *

_As she made her way through the graveyard, Tara continued to roll her tongue over her blood stained teeth. The girl she had just killed lay only a few feet away, the body lying out in the open where on the coming day anyone would be able to see it. Smiling, the vampire's mind reveled on the fresh memory of the kill. It had been easy, convincing the girl to come with her at the night-club, taking a short cut through the graveyard in order to gain some privacy, with the entire affair ending with a short kiss before the vampire sank her fangs into the girl's neck._

"_Guess that you were hungry?" Looking over her shoulder, Tara rolled her eyes._

"_Look, I don't like to share, so why don't you run along before I get testy?"_

"_I know who you are, Tara Maclay." As he made his way out of the shadows, the male vampire showed his face to her. "I know what you've done, where you've been, people you've killed, all of it."_

"_So you're my own personal little stalker, how cute." _

"_I want to offer you something." Still walking towards her, the other vampire kept his gaze focused solely on Tara herself. _

"_If it's more blood, I'd love to, but I just ate. And I'm not a seconds kinda girl." _

"_There's something coming. Something bigger than you can even begin to imagine. You can help." Stopping a few feet away from the other vampire, the man stared at her as she half-listened while rolling her tongue over her fangs. "You have power in you, power you've forgotten."_

"_Listen spikey hair, I've got all the power I need, and I haven't forgotten any of it. So whatever you're trying to sell, I ain't buying." Rolling her eyes one more time, Tara turned to leave. Hearing someone sigh behind her, she had barely registered there being someone else there with the other vampire before she found her limbs effectively frozen in place._

"_Can't say I didn't give her the choice." Turning towards the man walking beside him, the vampire known as Angel shrugged his shoulders. "Are you sure she's the one the Powers wanted?"_

"_Positive. They're very specific about these kind o' things, ya know?" Holding out his hand, Doyle returned the shrug of the shoulders. "You mind getting this thing done already? I'm not so experienced with the whole Magick thing as I am with other things."_

"_These things will take the time required. There will be no hurrying." Not even bothering to look up from the candle in front of her, the Witch accompanying the two shook her head slightly. "These things cannot be rushed."_

"_And you're sure this will give her a soul, 'cause personally, I'm more of that idea." Sarcasm still drenching his voice, Doyle laughed slightly before turning back to the vampire he was still holding prisoner with his temporary powers. _

"_It will. It will be as if the soul was never ripped away from its body." _

"_Alright, look, I know you're trying to be insistent here, but I'm not looking for a soul. So why don't you let me the hell go, and I won't rip your throats out." Turning her head as far as it could go, Tara glared at the three individuals standing behind her. "Considering whether or not I'm pissed off."_

"_Gotta say, she's got a little bit o' fire in her." As she heard the Witch beginning to chant, Tara renewed her struggles to break free of the Magick holding her in place. "Again, you meant hurrying this up a wee bit? I don't think I can hold her much longer."_

"_It is almost complete." Her eyes closed in concentration, the Witch's candle began to burn brighter and brighter with each passing second. As a sole minute passed, the flame shot out of the wick that had its origin, and flew towards the immobile vampire. Able to sense the rapidly approaching flame, the vampire renewed her struggles with an almost frantic pace. Unable to keep his hold on her using Magick, Doyle lowered his hand as he saw that even though the binding spell had been broken, it was already too late for the female vampire to escape what was about to occur._

_As the flame struck her back in the spot just where her heart would be, the flame did not burn, but instead buried itself into the vampire's skin. Collapsing to her knees, Tara slapped at her back where the flame had passed through both clothing and skin, the heat inside her skin almost overwhelming. As she felt something creeping back into her mind, the Demon inside her frantically continued to struggle to maintain its control over the vampire's mind. Spreading out across the brain, the flame took on another quality to it. Reattaching itself to the vacant place within Tara's body where her soul had once resided, it buried itself into place, fitting in as if it had never left._

"_Tell me that worked." Still watching what was going on, Doyle waited for his companion to make the first step towards the female vampire. Catching onto what the half-demon was implying, Angel took a few cautious steps towards where Tara was lying. As she looked at her surroundings, Tara knew nothing but pain inside of her heart. She felt nothing but a constant cold swarming through her body. Everything around her seemed different than what she had remembered. The house, the blood, the bodies, all of it was gone, replaced with the cold emotionless stone of a graveyard. _Am I dead?...

"_Are you alright?" Her blue irises moving up to one of the two figures in front of her, Tara struggled to remember where she was. She knew her name, where she was supposed to be, but there was a noticeable blank that overwhelmed the majority of her memories. _

"_W-Where am I?"_

"_You'll remember in a second. Comes with having your soul forced back into ya." _

"_W-W-What-" Within seconds, every single memory from the past year began to return in full force. As she lay helpless to stop her memories, Tara closed her eyes. "Oh, goddess…" _

"_You can help us, Tara. It won't make the memories go away, but it'll make them easier." Looking down at the other vampire with sympathy lining his eyes, Angel offered his hand to her. "You have to choose."_

_Her mind overwhelmed with the memories of countless lives she had robbed of life and drained of their blood, the female vampire knew that she was crying, but she powerless to stop it._

"_Tara, I know what it feels like. Right now you're trying to believe that it wasn't you that killed those people. And even though you know that a part of you didn't do it, you still know that you hold some of the blame." Kneeling down, Angel continued to look at the other vampire. "It'll get better."_

"_Can y-y-you p-promise me t-that?" _

"_No, but I can tell you it will." Still holding out his hand, the male vampire saw the girl open her tear-filled eyes. Silently weighing in her options, Tara reached out and laid her palm overtop of Angel's._

* * *

As the shackle around her wrist became once again connected to its accompanying chain, Tara was silent, her mind virtually sealed off from everything and everyone around her. Looking down at her pet, Willow frowned.

"What's the matter?" Receiving no answer from the other vampire, Willow tilted her head in order to properly look at the girl. "Is Kitten sad? Broken? Tell Mommy what's wrong, Kitten."

"I d-don't l-l-like talking about my s-sire." Closing her eyes, Tara willed back the tears she felt pooling up inside of her.

"Are you afraid of her?" Still frowning, the red-headed vampire reached out and ran her hand along the girl's neck. "I don't like my Kitty being afraid of anyone but me."

"Yes." Nodding, Tara brought her knees up to her chest. She was slightly surprised that she had managed to say the word without stuttering, but the surprise was short-lived as the newly uncovered fear overwhelmed her mind.

"Look at me, Kitty. I'm evil, you should be afraid of me. Your sire can't get you when I'm here. I'd tear her throat out if it would make my Kitty be afraid of me again." Unwillingly finding herself babbling, Willow closed her mouth as she realized what she was doing. "Understand, Kitten? Only me."

"Why are you teasing me like this?" Saying the sentence once more without the ever present stutter that filled her voice, Tara looked up at her captor with her blue eyes finally open once more.

"Because it's fun to tease you. I'm a bad mommy, and I like to tease my Kitten."

"Y-Y-You're afraid t-that I d-don't f-fear you like I do my s-s-sire?" Looking into the other vampire's eyes with an almost emotionless quality to her pupils, the red-head's expression finally broke into one laced with a child-like playfulness to them.

"Only me, Kitten." As her free hand playfully slapped Tara's ass, Willow smiled_. "Only_ me."

Her eyes trying to focus on the sheets beneath her, Tara could already notice the noticeable change that had come over her captor's voice in just a short amount of time. _Goddess, what did I do?_

"Are you tired, Kitty? I wanna play." Her green eyes staring down at the other vampire, Willow's fingers started to trace down into the edge of the blonde's shirt. Only nodding as she closed her eyes, the blonde vampire felt her captor's fingers moving around on her skin.

"You look good. You look _bad." _Her other hand tracing up her pet's leather-encased leg, Willow's green eyes lit up with the same predatory look she had seen days ago. "I like when you look like this."

As her fingers slipped underneath the shirt her pet was wearing, the red-head smiled as she saw the other vampire open her eyes.

"And I can see your pretty blue eyes." Her free hand making its way up to push some of the girl's blonde hair out of her face, Willow smiled even wider. "Good, Kitty. You know what Mommy likes to see."

Keeping her eyes open, Tara let the other vampire's hands roam over her body. The fact that there were no matches within the room comforted her somewhat. The burns on her stomach had finally managed to completely heal, mostly due to the blood she had fed on only hours before. Her body no longer felt tired in the slightest sense. Even with those benefits, she knew that the vampire above her was still stronger in every sense of the word.

And yet, as she looked up into those green eyes looking down at her, Tara felt _safe. _She hadn't done anything wrong, and Willow herself hadn't done anything to hurt her. Even though being forced to feed had almost pushed her mind to its breaking point emotionally, it had made her regain her strength. Even she couldn't deny that. None of what her captor did for her forgave her for what she had done to her and the countless others, but at the same time, it didn't damn her completely.

Closing her eyes, the blonde vampire pressed herself back in the mattress as she felt Willow's hands still moving over top of her. Her captor's fingertips matched the temperature of her body perfectly, leaving no room for any difference in temperature. As the red-headed vampire's digit made its way further down her skin, Tara knew that her captor had already undone the buttons that held the front of the shirt together. Her free hand making its way over her pet's exposed stomach, Willow continued to silent watch the other vampire with her green eyes.

With the red-head's fingertips lying only mere inches from the top of her leather pants, Tara's mind began to race in an attempt to combat the feelings her body was begging her to give into. Her blue eyes focusing only on the other vampire's face, she considered closing her eyes until she remembered what could come from doing so. Speaking out to her from where it was rooted inside her brain, the Demon knew that it could convince her to do what it knew the body desired. Seizing the opportunity, it spoke to the mind it resided in. The result was nearly instantaneous as the vampire willingly gave into what her Soul refused to allow her.

As she pressed her lips against the other vampire's forehead, Tara knew that the soul inside of her would force her to regret the action later, but for the moment, she closed her eyes before leaning back into the mattress. Smiling down at her pet, Willow leaned down and repeated the same gesture.

"Go to sleep, Kitty."

"I t-t-thought you s-said…" Her eyes opening, Tara felt the other vampire press her finger against her lips.

"You get hungry when you're awake. Kittens need their sleep."

"B-But…" A small change coming over the way she was looking at the vampire underneath her, Willow reached into her pocket and removed a single match.

"Are you trying to be bad?" Although she didn't move to light the match she held between her fingers, the red-head knew that her point was getting across to the other vampire as she saw Tara shake her head almost frantically. "Good Kitty. Sleep time."

Closing her eyes, Tara felt the other vampire sink into the mattress beside her, the red-head's fingers beginning to play with her hair.

"I wish I knew what goes on in that naughty Kitten head of yours." As the words left her lips, Willow fell silent. Her eyes closed, Tara felt the other vampire's fingers continuing to dance across her skin as she tried to will her body to sleep.


	5. Thoughts And Feelings

**Again, another long chapter, but important stuff happens!**

**Enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. **

* * *

**Chapter 5**

As she opened her eyes, her memory induced dream still lining her vision, Tara turned her head slightly and found a pair of green eyes staring back at her. Startled somewhat, her body tried to move away until she felt the other vampire's hands resting on her thigh.

"Morning, Kitten." Smiling as she saw her pet's reaction, Willow's fingers moved up to the other vampire's neck, and danced along the bare skin exposed there. "Sleep well?"

"N-No." Shaking her head as best she could with the red-head's fingers pressing down somewhat gently on her neck, the blonde vampire looked into the pair of eyes staring at her.

"Aww, did my poor Kitty have nightmares?" Frowning, Willow moved closer towards the other vampire. "Tell me what made you sad."

"Just a n-n-nightmare."

"But you squirmed in your sleep, something was making you afraid. Was I in it?" Smiling slightly as she finished her sentence, Willow moved her fingers' attention down until they were touching the bare skin of her pet's stomach. "Is that what made you afraid?"

"N-N-No."

"Then tell me, I'll rip out the throat of whatever is scaring you." Her green eyes taking on a blood-thirsty quality to them, Willow smiled slightly. "Mommy needs to feed soon anyway. If you're good, she'll bring someone back for you."

"It w-w-was…m-my sire…" Shaking away the thoughts of the dream she had just awoken from, Tara closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "P-P-Please d-don't a-ask me anymore…"

"Is Kitten upset?" Frowning, Willow's fingers danced up the girl's chest until they reached the very edge of her chin. "Kitten doesn't need to be upset when Mommy is around."

Nodding her response, Tara tried to pull her knees up to her chest in an attempt to curl in on herself, but she found her captor's hands blocking her legs approach.

"Come here." Pulling the blonde vampire to her, Willow pressed the girl's head into her leather-clad shoulder. "See? You're safe."

Able to feel the vampire's hand moving around on her back, Tara knew that she was virtually trapped, considering the shackle still locked around her wrist, and the way her captor was holding onto her. Her body momentarily stiffening, she willed her muscles to relax into the other vampire's grip.

"There, Kitty doesn't have to be afraid anymore." Her fingers moving through the blonde's hair, her fingertips picking apart each individual strand that they came in contact with, Willow smiled. "Kitten never has to be afraid."

Managing to work her head out of the other vampire's shoulder, Tara turned over onto her side, unable to go any further due to the shackle locked around her wrist.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm t-tired."

"But you slept all day."

"P-Please, I d-d-don't want to p-p-play." Saying the sentence before her resolve crumbled completely away, the blonde vampire wrapped her arms around herself.

"Kitten is sad." Frowning, Willow nevertheless got onto her feet and made her way around the side of the bed. "I don't want Kitten to be sad."

Remaining entirely silent, Tara kept her blue eyes focused on the sheets beneath her.

"Is Kitten hungry?" Shaking her head negatively in response, the ensouled vampire felt her captor's fingers moving through her hair again. "Is Kitten bored?"

"P-Please just leave me alone."

"If I do, will you want to play later?" Finally nodding, Tara saw the other vampire smile at her before she got back onto her feet. "I need to go see Daddy and Xander, Kitty. I'll be back later. Be good."

Closing the door behind her with a smile, Willow made her way down the stairs away from her room after she had locked the door, just as insurance that her pet wouldn't try and leave. As she emerged from the staircase, she found Xander waiting for her at the door.

"Good to finally see you up and about, Wills."

"Somebody sounds jealous." Tilting her head slightly, the red-head stared at her 'brother'. "Is Xander jealous that Kitty spends so much time with me?"

"Wills, no offense, but you're starting to sound a little obsessed with this…_thing."_ As she heard the other vampire referring to her pet, Willow's smile turned into a scowl. "Even more than what you usually do."

"I have fun with Kitty."

"And I'm not saying that's not good and all, but you need to…get out more. You didn't hunt at all the other night."

"I was playing with my Kitten." Taking a step towards where her 'brother' was standing, the red-headed vampire pressed herself against him. "You don't have to be mean about her."

"Willow, are you sure she didn't put you under some kind of spell? She is a Witch after all. A dead one, but still a Witch."

"Kitty doesn't do spells to me." Shaking her head, the female vampire pushed her 'brother' against the wall behind him. "I still haven't forgotten about how you went and told Daddy about her."

"Wills, I was looking out for you."

"You were being mean and trying to take her away from me."

"Damn it, will you just listen to yourself?" Pushing his 'sister' back with more than the necessary amount of force, Xander looked down at her with more than a little anger in his eyes. "There's something wrong with you, and that damn bitch is the cause of i-"

"Don't call her that." Reaching out and grabbing the other vampire by his throat, Willow growled at him. "Bad Xander."

"Willow, let go of me."

"Say you're sorry." Her angry glare refusing to lift, the red-head only tightened her grip on the other vampire's throat. _"Now."_

"Jesus Christ, I'm sorry. Happy?" Refusing to answer his apology, Willow relinquished her grip on her 'brother' and walked out the door.

"You coming or what? I'm hungry."

* * *

When Willow returned, it was hardly a surprise as she dropped yet another helpless girl onto the ground in front of where Tara was standing. Her blue eyes looking down at the girl, the blonde vampire knew that the Demon inside of her had enough strength to overtake her soul for control, if only for minutes at the most.

"Drink her." Whispering in the other vampire's ear, Willow smiled and bit at the blonde's earlobe slightly. "Drink up all the blood inside of her."

"I c-c-can't…"

"You _can,_ Kitten. Drink her up." Almost able to feel the soul inside her pet beginning to lose control, Willow's smile grew even wider as the fear pouring off of the girl she had brought her pet nearly intoxicated her. "Drink her until your tummy's all full, and then I'll snuggle with you."

"B-But…"

"Do it, Kitty. I have matches if you're being bad. I can let _her_ play with _you."_ Hearing the other vampire's threat that she knew wasn't a hollow one, Tara took a cautious step towards where the girl was cowering before she retreated two steps back. Her eyes trailing along the helpless girl's body, Tara could feel the Demon spreading its control out through her brain, forcing the Soul to relinquish its control over the vampire's body. With Willow's hands still creeping along her body, the ensouled vampire closed her eyes in an attempt to force the images out of her head. If the Demon couldn't see what it wanted, it would lose its newly found control.

"Does my Kitty want her Mommy to put blood on her food again?" Unable to stop herself from nodding, Tara knew that she was hungry, that her Demon demanded its meal. Smiling, the red-head made her way over to where the girl was cowering in the corner of the locked room. As she forced the thrashing girl to her feet, Willow's face morphed into its vamperic form. Biting down on her palm, just as she had done before, the vampire smeared the blood flowing out of the wound onto the girl's neck and shoulder. Her yellow eyes seemingly peering into the girl's soul, the red-head pulled her away from the wall and pushed her into her pet's grip.

Her stomach and senses leaping at the smell of her captor's blood, Tara gripped the still struggling girl in her arms. Looking up at the red-head standing only a few feet away, her blue eyes seemingly looked for a shred of approval in the other vampire's eyes. Nodding at her pet, Willow smiled as she saw the Demon take over the blonde vampire's face. As both her Demon and her Soul screamed out at the same time, Tara bit down onto her victim's bloody neck.

"Drink it all up, Kitten." A smile still gracing her features, Willow watched as her pet proceeded to drain the girl of every drop of blood in her body. Dropping the lifeless body to the floor, Tara's face retracted into its human guise once more, her soul having pushed the Demon back into its private corner of the vampire's mind.

"Feel any better?" Her blue eyes looking at the body she had just dropped, Tara's mind repeated the same thoughts it had done the night before.

"Goddess, I d-d-did it a-again…" Her legs feeling slightly wobbly underneath her, the blonde vampire felt something grab her as she started to fall. As tears began to fall from her blue irises, Tara heard the shackle being reattached to its chain. "I c-couldn't stop it…"

"You did nothing wrong, Kitten. Don't be sad." Still holding onto the collapsed vampire now lying in her lap, Willow's Demon took some pleasure in seeing how the girl always reacted to having to feed. "You're full now."

"Stop making me do this!" Her fingers curling into a fist, Tara struck her captor's arm before her mind could properly comprehend what it was doing. As she felt her pet's fist strike her arm, Willow's entire expression changed seemingly on whim.

"Bad Kitten." Pulling the girl's head away from her lap, the red-head's eyes stared back at the other vampire with an indescribable quality lining their irises. "You don't hit me."

Her mind finally realizing what it had unleashed, Tara tried to move away from her captor's grip. Sighing as she held the other vampire to her, Willow closed her eyes for a moment before she opened them once more, the emotion contained in them having changed within only seconds.

"You're upset."

"I don't w-w-want to do this!" Furiously wiping away the tears that had fallen from her eyes, Tara pressed herself against the backboard behind her as she squirmed out of the red-head's grip. "It h-h-hurts too much!"

"Come here." Holding out her arms in a semi-friendly gesture, the red-headed vampire waited for the other vampire to come back to her. "Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty."

Shaking her head as she buried it into her knees, Tara felt the mattress beneath her sink a little as Willow came closer to her. She knew that there were still tears running down her cheeks, but her Soul refused to let her stop as the images of the girl dying in her arms repeated over and over again. Pulling the other vampire into her grip, the red-head felt her pet shuttering beneath her as she cried. Frowning, Willow remained silent as she waited for Tara to calm herself down.

"It's alright, Kitten, it's alright."

* * *

"As I said, she is none of your concern." Waving his hand slightly, the Master watched as the boy continued to pace around the room.

"You're telling me that she's not a threat? Willow's virtually obsessed with her! Doesn't that warrant some kind of action?"

"You would do best not to meddle with your sister's plans, boy. Fate seemingly has a plan for that one, a plan that is well beyond your seemingly miniscule understanding." Rising up out of his chair, the elder vampire cast his red eyes at the childe standing before him. "As a result, you do not understand what our dear Willow intends to do.

"Tell me, my fair boy, have you ever indulged yourself in the works of William Blake?"

"I don't really read." Finally ceasing his pace, Xander folded his arms behind his back. "Unless it's by the way of Marvel or D.C."

"Blake's words were…masterful, in the human sense of the word. 'It is easier to forgive an enemy, than to forgive a friend.' Truly beautiful."

"And that has some kind of hidden meaning?"

"Your sister has a plan for Angelus, and the girl. Do not interfere."

"Master-" Starting to respond, Xander found the elder vampire's eyes effectively burning a hole into him.

"My word is clear on the matter." Easing himself down into his throne, the Master waved the boy away. "She may continue, and do so with my blessing."

* * *

Feelings. That's all she could think about were the feelings she felt running through her mind. The feelings that made her body shake, quiver, and act on its own accord. The feelings that made the Soul inside her mind scream out in frustration. The feelings that made her Demon spread out through her mind and take control of her body.

All of them were making it hard to even think. As she ran a finger over the shackle locked around her wrist, Tara found her mind to be nothing more than a cluster of signals that refused to expose their true meaning. Everything that had happened in the past weeks seemed like nothing more than a blur.

_Do I need more blood?... _She didn't feel hungry, even if her stomach leaped at the mere mention of the liquid. _Blood involves killing, Killing involves my Demon, My Demon involves my Soul…hungry._

How long had it been since that last kill? Hours? Days? It hadn't been a week, she could tell that much, but in some ways, it felt like that. It wasn't just blood she was after, that she craved with every inch of her Demonic senses. It was _her _blood. Ever since she had tasted it that first night, when she had practically forced the finger into her mouth, it had been that blood that burned through her body, infecting every corner of her stomach, senses, mind, all of it. It had been that blood that had given the Demon enough strength to bite down on those girls necks, draining every drop of blood in their bodies, hoping that it would satisfy the craving. But more and more, it made her crave the red-head's blood more.

A vampire craving another vampire. Poetic, in a sense.

Turning over onto her side, Tara closed her eyes and tried to center herself. The lessons that her mother had given her were still a very vivid memory inside her brain, and she remembered the words easily. The breathing portions were an unnecessary thing now, considering that her heart remained unbeating inside her chest. As she pushed both the Demon and the Soul aside in her brain, she found every stray thought beginning to follow suite, leaving her mind clear and calm. The room around her beginning to fade into the background, the vampire let out a breath that she hadn't needed. For the first time in weeks, she felt strangely at peace, although that feeling was a fragile one at best.

"Hello, Kitten." Her eyes shooting open as the newly found peace inside her brain fell apart, and the Soul and Demon retook their places, Tara turned her head to find an all too familiar pair of green eyes staring back at her. "Did I wake you up?"

Shaking her head, the blonde vampire's eyes came to rest on the dried blood that covered a portion of the other vampire's hand. Almost instantly, the urges to have the other vampire's blood flared up once more, the intensity of the cravings reaching new heights than they had earlier. Moving onto the bed, the red-head positioned herself so that she was effectively straddling her pet.

"Is my Kitten still sad?" Tilting her head in a way that caused her red-hair to make contact with her shoulder, Willow smiled slightly. "Or is she happy to see me?"

"H-H-Happy." Nodding in a manner that she hoped was convincing enough, Tara continued to look at the blood on her captor's hand. Was having the liquid so close to her only another way that her captor had come up with to taunt her? To make her want to feed again?

"Good." Her smile growing wider, Willow saw how the other vampire's eyes were focused solely on the blood on her hand. "Hungry?"

Nodding, Tara felt the Demon beginning to spread its influence across her brain, her Soul helpless to stop it.

"I didn't bring you anything though." Her lips morphing into a pout, the red-headed vampire pressed herself down against the other vampire's hips. "I was bad, and forgot."

The Demon inside Tara's mind was almost completely in control now, although her Soul continued to try and fight off the influence. Her blue eyes seemingly unable to lift their gaze from the blood on the other vampire's hand, she felt something moving across her cheek, but her mind refused to focus on it.

"I guess _I _could feed you, would you like that?" Nodding, the blonde vampire watched as Willow held out her palm as an offering. "Drink up."

Her face morphing into its true form, the vampire took hold of her captor's palm. As she bit down onto her captor's waiting limb, Tara's Demon's influence completely spread out through her body, overwhelming any kind of control that she might have had regarding the matter at hand. Her fangs biting down onto the skin in her mouth, the vampire felt the pangs in her stomach tamper off as the blood flowed down her throat.

Minutes passed before Willow moved to pull her hand away. As she felt the other vampire's grip remaining firm on the limb, she frowned.

"Come on, Kitty, let go." Shaking her head as she continued to feed, Tara looked up at the red-head with her yellow eyes filled with none of the gentleness and hesitation that usually accompanied her blue irises. _"Let go."_

Finally managing to pull her arm away from her pet, the red-head frowned at how the other vampire was looking up at her.

"You've had enough."

_"More."_ Snarling the word, Tara's eyes remained locked on the bite she had inflicted on the other girl.

"No." Reaching over to the nearby night-stand, Willow grabbed up the box of matches that she had set there without her pet's notice. "Kitten was bad."

As she lit the match, Willow began to let it burn as she stood above the other vampire. Looking up at the burning flame, Tara knew that her body was shaking slightly, despite the Demon's unwavering control over her. "Weren't you?"

"…Blood…" Closing her eyes as she said the word, the blonde vampire felt something press against her lips, blocking any other words from leaving her mouth.

"No, answer me." Tossing the match onto the floor as it's flame began to burn out, the red-head smiled. "Were you a bad Kitty?"

Shaking her head as she tried to free her mouth, Tara heard her captor strike up another match.

"Come on, Kitten, just answer me. Were you bad?" Holding the match just above her pet, the red-headed vampire waited for the other vampire to answer her. "This can all be over with..."

_"...Hungry..."_ Her Soul still unable to full regain control of her body, Tara licked her lips despite the still lingering presence of her captor's hand across her mouth.

"You were greedy, weren't you? Trying to take more than what Mommy would give you." Tossing another burned out match to the floor, Willow sighed. "Can't you just admit you were bad?"

_"...So...hungry..."_ Still listening to her pet's exclamations of hunger, the red-head dropped the lit match in her hand to the exposed skin waiting beneath her . As the burning match made contact with her skin, Tara squirmed even further, although the Demon inside her still refused to lift its control, even though its hunger had long since been satisfied.

"The matches aren't working?" Frowning at the match's lack of a proper effect, Willow tossed the entire box to the floor, and removed her hand from where it lay covering the other vampire's mouth. Opening her eyes, Tara looked up at her captor with blood-thirst still controlling her eyes.

_"Blood..."_

"So greedy tonight." Looking at her healing palm, Willow held it up to Tara's mouth, and gave her a lop-sided grin. "Fine, here. Only a little more.

Greedily accepting the offered palm, Tara's face changed back into its vamperic form as she bit down on her captor's hand. Her green eyes watching as the other vampire gripped her arm with her free hand, Willow smiled lopsidedly.

"Somebody's hungry tonight." Managing to pull her hand away after a few minutes of allowing the other girl to feed off of her, Willow moved back until she was sitting at the end of the bed. "Is your tummy all full?"

_"Better..."_ As the Demon emitted a final word before allowing the Soul within the girl to regain control of her body, Tara blinked her blue eyes a few times before looking at the other vampire sitting in front of her. "Oh n-n-no..."

"Kitten, you're all afraid again." Her smile growing even wider, the red-head tilted her head. "I like it when you're afraid..."

"W-What d-d-d-did I d-do?"

"You were bad. All bad for a minute. I like it when you're like that." Moving forward slightly, Willow was straddling the other vampire again within a mere matter of seconds. "But I also like my Kitty being afraid of me."

"I'm s-s-s…s-s-sorry…"

"You don't have to apologize, Kitty. I liked seeing you like that." Looking down at the other vampire, the red-head continued to smile. "You went bad for me."

"I'm-" Trying to apologize again, Tara felt her captor's hand press down against her lips.

"No apologizing." Looking into the other vampire's blue eyes, Willow sighed with an exaggerated happiness lacing her tone. "You look tired, Kitten. Go to sleep. Kitten needs her sleep."

* * *

As he opened the door, Xander found the room to be entirely empty, save for the form of the sleeping vampire on Willow's bed.

"So, you're the one that Wills has been all google-eyed over…" Looking over the sleeping vampire, Xander's eyes flowed down the blonde's body. "Seems like she hasn't lost any of her good taste."

Shaking head slightly as she continued to sleep, Tara couldn't see her captor's 'brother' pulling the stake out of his back pocket, the action as fluid as water.

"Guess this is for her own good though." As he raised the stake above his head, the vampire shrugged before he started to plunge the stake down towards the sleeping vampire.

"Bad Xander." Wrapping her fingers around her brother's wrist, Willow snarled at him. "Put the stake down_. Now."_

"Wills, this is for your own good. Let go of me." Staring back at his sister, Xander saw the sleeping vampire lying beneath both himself and Willow beginning to stir slightly. He didn't fear the ensouled demon, but knew that having her awake would only enrage his 'sister' even further.

"Let go of the stake, or I'll break the poor little bone."

"Wills-"

"Do it. _Now."_ Squeezing down on her brother's wrist, Willow heard and felt the bone snap inside the other vampire's wrist. Smiling as she heard the product of her work, the red-head pushed her brother back towards the door. "Kitten's sleeping, and her Mommy wouldn't like it if someone were to wake her up."

_"Goddamn it, you fucking broke my wrist!" _His voice somewhat subdued due to the pain running through his undead system, the male vampire let himself be pushed out of the room.

"Bye-bye, Xander." Opening the door, the red-headed vampire pushed her brethren out the door before slamming the wooden object shut. Latching the numerous locks that lay attached the wooden structure, Willow's green eyes danced as she turned around and looked at her still sleeping pet.

"You see what happens when people try to mess with you, Kitten?" The words leaving her lips as a mere whisper that she hadn't used in what seemed like a millennia, the red-head made her way back to the bed. Her eyes still shut against the world around her, Tara curled further into the red-sheets beneath her. Her smile only growing wider as she saw her pet resting comfortably, Willow reached out and laid her fingers against the other girl's cheek.

The word 'beautiful' came to mind. She liked beautiful things. Always had really, even though in what she called her 'pathetic fuzzy form' she would have tried to deny that. After all, those feelings had been naughty, hadn't they? Those things had been something that she had always berated herself for even thinking about for a single second. Being sired had changed all that. As soon as she had awakened that night of the Harvest, any shred of reluctance had been thrown into the wind, joining her soul in the afterlife.

The way her Kitten fed made her smile as well. It reminded her of what she had done the night she had risen. She had managed to feed on the stranglers trying to escape from the Bronze as Luke drained those inside in order to give the Master enough strength to break the forces holding him in his prison. Xander had been one of those trying to do something in order to help those inside. She had sought him out, had convinced him that she could make him feel better about himself. Somehow he had found out about what she was, had tried to convince himself that it was a bad idea to even listen to her, but she had seen the desire in the teenager's eyes, the desire to feel powerful, unbeatable, immortal, everything that he wasn't. He had let her change him, had welcomed it.

But what did she feel for the vampire lying in front of her? She wasn't like Puppy, although they both had those icky souls inside of them. She wasn't like Xander, she wasn't all bad and jealous. She wasn't like Daddy, she wasn't cruel and calculating. She wasn't like Luke, Darla, Jesse, she was unlike any of them.

Kitten was a breed all her own.

She liked Kitten. Much more than Puppy. Puppy was too easy now, too predictable. Kitten did things that kept things interesting. Kitten was prettier than Puppy was, with her blonde hair and pretty blue eyes that she liked to hide away from the world. Kitten was good when the matches came out. Kitten made her smile more than Puppy ever could. Kitten loved her blood, and she got greedy when she didn't get enough of it. Kitten slept the day and night away when her Mommy wasn't there.

The word 'love' came to her mind, placing itself right after 'beautiful' and 'pretty'. How long had it been since she had ever thought of the meaning behind that word, much less use it in the proper sense of what it had been created to describe? Days, Weeks, Months, Years, all of them seemed meaningless as her mind searched for a single memory. None came to mind. She may have felt the emotion towards Xander at one point, but she knew that it had been nothing more than a single school-girl crush, pathetic and weak. Siring him had been a way to gain a play-mate. Nothing more.

But when she thought of Kitten, the word seemingly matched, fitting into the notched little holes like it belonged there. Her pet had made her babble, once, but obviously more than she had done in a long while. The memory of how she had sounded made her frown slightly before the smile returned to her lips. The way her Kitten had kissed her on the forehead made her unbeating heart flutter for a second, causing her to look down at her chest in order to see if something was inside her clothing.

Stirring underneath her cold touch, Tara remained in her sleep-like state. What was it that she was dreaming? Willow wondered. She was sleeping much calmer than she had the night before, when the dream about her family had made her afraid. Kitten's dreams shouldn't do that to her, not unless the red-head was in them, causing said fear. She shouldn't feel like something else would hurt her, Willow was the only one who would hurt her, would comfort her, feed her, anything her Kitty needed, Willow would give.

"Pretty, pretty, Kitty." Tilting her head as she saw the other girl still peacefully sleeping, Willow moved her fingers along the other vampire's cheek, causing Tara to seemingly melt into her fingertips. More than ever, the red-head wanted to know what her pet was dreaming about. Leaning in closer until her lips almost met the blonde's ear, Willow smiled. "What are you dreaming, Kitten?"

"No more..." Frowning slightly, Tara's voice left her lips with a groggy tone to it.

"Am I in it?"

"Willow..." Shaking her head slightly, the blonde vampire's hand gripped the sheets beneath her a little tighter. "Goddess..."

"I think I am." Smiling as wide as she possibly could, Willow let her fingers dance gently along the other vampire's face, her mind racing with the endless amount of possibilities of things she could ask the girl lying beside her. "Are you being bad for me?"

"Yes..."

"Are you letting me do whatever I want?"

"...Yes."

"Naughty Kitten." Silently chuckling, Willow's fingers danced along Tara's neck. "You like being bad, don't you?"

"Yes..." Squirming more and more underneath the sheets she had covered herself with, Tara turned herself onto her opposite side. "I like being bad."

"Good to hear." Her face practically beaming down at the other vampire, Willow's fingers moved up to touch the other girl's hair. "I like knowing that my Kitten likes being naughty."

"I'm...naughty." _She's more fun when she's asleep..._

"Oh, Kitty, you're so bad. You're supposed to be sleeping, but you're thinking of me..." Chuckling again, the red-head finally moved away from the other vampire. "Such a naughty Kitten."

"Willow…" Breathing out the other vampire's name one more time, Tara's voice tampered off as she went further and further into her dream. Smiling, Willow danced around the room as her pet's words flowed through her brain. Finally collapsing onto the bed next to the blonde vampire, she smiled down at the undisturbed girl.

"I like hearing you say my name, naughty Kitten."


	6. Heartbeats

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Stirring in her sleep, Tara slowly began to open her eyes as the dream she had been partially enjoying, partially dreading faded away in the inner recesses of her mind. Pushing her head deeper in to the warm pillow beneath her cold body, the vampire felt something holding onto her waist, but she knew that looking behind her would only bring her captor's green eyes down upon her. After having been forced to feed twice the previous night, she didn't think she would be able to stand looking at the red-head. Not just yet.

Her stomach and senses strangely felt calm, as if the blood she had been given from her captor's palm had somehow calmed the urges she had been suffering through. Although she knew from personal experiences that the urges, which always came about in the form of sharp pangs that flooded her stomach and the skin surrounding it, would return eventually, but for now, she felt calm. Being able to even think that she could feel that way, considering where she still was, was strange, but she nevertheless kept her eyes closed in an expression of being at peace.

"Are you awake yet, Kitten?" Whispering the words into the other vampire's ear, Willow smiled as she saw heard a groan from the blonde girl. "Too early?"

"Too early…" Still half-asleep, Tara pulled the sheets covering her up a little more than they had been before.

"But Kittens don't need to sleep the day away…" Her hand pulling the girl closer towards her, Willow pouted even though the other vampire's head was still turned away. "Mommy wants to play with her Kitten…"

Shaking her head, Tara buried herself deeper into the warm mattress beneath her, intent on spending a few more minutes sleeping. Continuing to pout, her captor satisfied herself with beginning to play with the other vampire's hair. Twirling the girl's blonde locks around her finger, Willow focused her green eyes on the way her pet silently and stilly slept. In many ways, she appeared to be at peace, the way her face looked making the red-headed vampire smile.

"Kitty, time to get up now." Shaking the portion of her pet's hair that covered the blonde's forehead, Willow smiled as she saw the other vampire lift up her head from the pillow. "The sun's all gone now, you can wake up."

As she saw her pet beginning to respond to her comments, the red-headed vampire smiled and pressed her finger against the other vampire's lips.

"No arguing, Mommy wants to play." Applying some pressure onto the blonde's shoulder, Willow swung her leg over the side of her pet's body. Looking up at the red-head sitting on top of her, Tara turned her head away in order to look at the locked door situated across the room. Catching the other vampire's gaze, Willow frowned as her eyes trailed along the floor until they settled their attention on the door.

"No, Kitty. No walks unless you're good. I might let you hunt something in order to fill up your empty tummy though." Patting her hand against the blonde's stomach, the red-head's frown began to turn into a smile. "Would Kitten like that?"

"I'm n-not h-h-hungry." Shaking her head, Tara looked up at her captor with her blue eyes trying hard not to show the pain flowing through her stomach as the hunger pangs began to start up once more.

"I think you're lying to me, Kitty." Her hand still rubbing the other vampire's stomach in a somewhat gentle fashion, the red-head leaned her head down until she was face-to-face with her pet's eyes. "Why would you lie to me?"

"N-Not h-hungry…" Continuing to shake her head, Tara willed her body not to shiver or shudder underneath the red-head's grip. Hearing the other vampire's answer, Willow made a tisking sound as she shook her head.

"Nasty lies from the pretty Kitten." Moving her free hand up to the blonde's face, Willow playfully smiled at the vampire beneath her. "Kitten shouldn't lie."

"W-W-Willow…" Her own eyes widening as she heard herself stuttering out her captor's name, Tara felt the red-head's green eyes staring her down. Moments that felt like minutes passed before the ensouled vampire heard any response from her captor.

"It's alright, Kitten. You didn't know any better." Her hands once again resuming their caress of her pet's stomach and cheek, Willow's lips morphed back into their almost ever-present smile. "You don't call me that, understand? Kitten's don't call their Mommies by their names.

"Now, do you know what you just did wrong?" Her stomach still gently moving over the other vampire's stomach, Willow's green eyes studied the way the blonde's expression seemingly flooded itself with a combination of emotions that interested her mind. "Mommy isn't going to punish you, she just wants to make sure that you know..."

"I...I...I..." Her tongue seemingly wanting to journey down her throat, Tara stared up at her captor's eyes, her mind unable to make her gaze move anywhere else. "I s-said y-y-your name..."

"Good Kitty." Giving the other vampire a kiss on her forehead, the red-headed vampire nuzzled her head into the girl's shoulder and neck. "See, no matches for you. Only kisses."

Her face still nuzzled into her pet's neck, Willow bit down somewhat gently on the blonde's neck, causing the girl to shutter once more. Closing her eyes as she remained completely still, Tara could feel her stomach rumble underneath the other vampire's hand. Feeling the way her pet's stomach showed its hunger to the world around her, Willow lifted her head and smiled down at the girl.

"Somebody's tummy is rumbling." Grinning ear-to-ear, the red-headed vampire continued to rub her hand against the girl's bared stomach. "Are you hungry?"

Nodding, Tara tried to look away from those soul-piercing green irises staring down at her. Moving her hand down from where it had been resting on the girl's blonde locks, Willow traced along the other vampire's cheek until she reached her chin.

"Why aren't you talking? You're all silent, and non-talky. I don't like that." Morphing her lips into a pout, the red-headed vampire moved herself back until she was sitting on her ankles once more. "Talk to me, Kitten. Pretty please with fountains of blood on top?"

"I...I'm h-hungry..."

"See, you were lying to me early." Shaking her finger at the other vampire, Willow shook her head playfully. "Naughty Kitten."

"S-Sorry-" Snaking her finger up from where it had been shaking in the girl's face, the red-headed vampire pressed it down against the ensouled demon's lips.

"No need to apologize. Kitten was hungry, and she lied about it because she wanted to be bad." Only nodding her response to the red-head's statement, Tara closed her blue eyes and finally found herself unable to restrain herself from stuttering. Her mind fully aware of what could have happened had her captor not made her statement about 'not knowing any better', the vampire felt the red-head's fingers make their way over her closed eyelids.

"Mommy doesn't want to play hide-and-go-seek, Kitten. Open up your pretty eyes."

"I'm s-s-sorry…"

"What are you sorry for, Kitten? You keep saying that." Tilting her head in order to look down at her pet from a different angle, Willow noticed the way the other girl was shaking. "You're acting like you were a naughty little Kitty."

Seeing her pet shaking underneath her, the red-head rested her hand on the girl's cheek. "Were you naughty in your dream?"

Only nodding once more, the blonde vampire saw her captor staring down at her with a come hither look overtaking her expression.

"I could hear you when you were dreaming. You were thinking of me, weren't you?" Her mind flooding with shock, Tara shook her head. Sighing, the red-head's fingers danced their way along the other vampire's face until falling down to her neck.

"More lies. Kitten, you're going to make me be a bad Mommy and punish you. You keep being bad." Looking over at the box of matches resting on the night-side table, Willow frowned. "You don't want me to be a bad Mommy, do you?"

Shaking her head, Tara squirmed slightly in an attempt to move farther back into the backboard of the bed.

"No, no, no punishment yet. Just warnings." Leaning herself back down onto the other vampire's chest, the red-head nuzzled her head back into her pet's neck. "Don't be naughty anymore."

"I w-w-won't…" Shaking her head despite the presence of the other vampire's lips on her neck, Tara turned slightly until her blue eyes came to rest on her captor's green irises. Neither of them spoke for what seemed like an hour, until finally the red-head rolled off of her pet and came to rest beside her. Still staring at her pet, Willow pulled the girl into her grip.

"What's it like to have that icky soul inside you?" As she gently stroked the other vampire's hair, Willow looked down at Tara with a genuine curiosity lining her green eyes. "To have it making you feel sad when you should be happy."

"It d-d-doesn't do a-anything." Shaking her head, the blonde vampire closed her eyes. "It j-just talks to m-me."

"What does it say to my Kitten?"

"It t-t-tells me that I'm e-evil."

"But Kitten isn't all bad." Moving her fingers down to the exposed skin on the blonde's neck, Willow frowned. "Kitten _wants_ to be bad though."

"I'm e-evil. My father a-always told m-m-me that I would b-be." Shaking her head again, Tara tried to push all the memories of every single memory of her father screaming at her out of her immediate thoughts.

"Kitty's Daddy made her feel bad?" Nearly snarling out the sentence, Willow grip nevertheless remained gentle. "Did someone already tear his throat out?"

"My s-s-sire d-did. I found h-him like t-t-that."

"Good. Kitten's Daddy deserved to die."

"Wills, you in there?" As Xander's voice accompanied a knock at the door, the red-headed vampire rolled her eyes and moved off of the bed.

"What, Xander? Kinda busy in here." Standing just beside the door, the vampire undid the sole lock that she had fastened and opened the door just a crack. "And Kitten doesn't want to see you."

"The big man called. He wants to see you, five minutes ago."

* * *

"Alright, alright, geez, you vampires are always so bossy." Rolling her eyes as she saw the Master's red pupils staring into her body, Anyanka took a step towards where Willow was standing. "Alright, so let me just get this straight, since it'll be easier for all parties involved. You want me to remove the girl's soul…so you can _mate_ with her?"

"She's funny, Daddy." Giggling childishly, Willow looked at her sire with her green eyes glowing somewhat in the dim lighting of the room. "Can I keep her too?"

"I'm afraid not, my child. Vengeance demons are somewhat…_tempered."_

"And what exactly are you trying to imply by that?" Raising an eyebrow at the vampire's comment, Anyanka rolled her eyes once more as she realized what the demon who summoned her meant. "Alright, you know, just because you're dead doesn't mean I couldn't easily flay you alive as a result of insulting me."

"I meant no offense, Anyanka. Your reputation does proceed you, and as a result, I hold a small, grudging amount of respect for you."

"Good to know." Turning her attention back to the giggling childe in front of her, the vengeance demon's eyes showed nothing but seriousness. "Alright, considering that I assume you've been scorned by a man, I can possibly make this work."

"Xander tried to take my Kitten away from me. Twice. Does that work?"

"It does. Scorned not once, but twice. You want to have two wishes? You could turn the man's flesh inside out."

"Xander's bad, but not that bad. Besides, Kitten may want to play with him when she's all bad." Smiling widely at the idea of her pet using matches against her 'brother', Willow's green eyes danced as they stared back at the demon. "Just make Kitten bad."

"I can do that. Not my usual style of exacting vengeance, considering that it's usually against the men who did the scorning, but I can work this. Loop-holes, and all that."

"What would my dear childe have to do? Of course, I could…reward you for helping her. I do treat well those who do good things for my favored children." Looking down at his enlarged nails, the Master's red-eyes' gaze came up from a split second in order to rest on Anyanka. "So long as she remains unharmed."

"Remember the whole clause of the being a vengeance demon thing? I don't hurt my fellow women. Only the evil and idiotic men who scorn them."

"And that is why I ask you to take caution. Our darling Willow is not one to be scorned."

"Daddy, I want Kitten to be bad already." Pouting, Willow kept her green eyes trained on the vengeance demon. "Can you make her bad?"

"Bring her to me, and I can try. No guarantees though." Her face beaming as she heard Anyanka's answer, Willow rushed for the door and threw it open without another word. Watching the vampire leave, the vengeance demon rolled her eyes.

"Does she always get this excited over things?"

"Indeed she does." Pushing himself out of his throne, the Master smiled. "But then again, it isn't an every night occurrence where one sees a soul being removed."

* * *

"Come here, Kitty." Entering the room, Willow closed the door behind her, but didn't bother with the locks like she usually did. Looking up from where she had been laying on the bed, Tara saw that the red-head was beside her in an almost instant, her fingers toying with the shackle locked around her pet's wrist. There was something about the other vampire's mood that made her curious as to what was going on in the world that lay outside of the red-head's room. "We're going somewhere."

"W-W-Where?" Curiosity filling out her expression as she saw the shackle snap off of her wrist, Tara looked up at the other vampire, and saw the almost devilish look that had overtaken her captor's green irises.

"It's a surprise." Smiling at her pet, Willow pulled the leash seemingly out of thin air, and held it in her pale hands. "Are you going to be good?"

Nodding, Tara rose her chin slightly as the red-head reached behind her neck and fastened the leather object until it was firmly secure.

"Good, Kitten. Remember, no running away. Daddy wants to talk to you again." Upon hearing the other vampire's name for the Master, Tara's eyes once again lit up with a new emotion behind them. Her unbeating heart still felt like exploding when she thought about how it had felt like to be within the Master's presence. Although he hadn't appeared to threaten her that night, the aura of how he could have her killed at any moment lingered still.

"Things are going to be fun." Her tone filled with happiness, Willow pulled her pet onto her feet. "You can play with Xander once we're done."

"W-W-What's going t-t-to happen?"

"It's a surprise. The naughty Kitten doesn't need to find out." Shaking her finger somewhat playfully at the other vampire, the red-head moved towards the door. Her pet's leash still gripped in her hand, Willow opened the door. "All she needs to know is that we're going to have fun."

* * *

"I brought her! Here she is!" Rushing through the door, Willow held somewhat tightly onto her pet's leash, her green eyes still filled to the brim with excitement. Stumbling into the room due to the leash still locked around her neck, Tara saw two figures sitting against the darkness that had engulfed the room and continued without end. The way her captor's excitement had sounded didn't fill her with confidence, but she knew that she most likely would find out what was going to happen soon enough.

"Ah, and so the ensouled vampire is amongst us." His red eyes piercing her soul, the Master smiled. "The answer as to whether or not our Willow's desire can be met is almost upon us."

"Yeah, yeah, just let me get this over with. Lots of women scorned over the world, and I've got lives to ruin." Stepping out of the shadows in order to approach the two vampires, Anyanka moved the amulet around her neck out of her shirt so it was visible to the entire room. "And besides, I've never tried this before."

"Come here, Kitten." Wrapping her arm around the blonde vampire's waist, Willow gently pushed her towards where the vengeance demon had come to a stop. "It won't hurt. We're going to get rid of that icky soul."

"D-D-Don't w-w-want…" Shaking her head as she tried to move away, Tara felt her captor's grip strengthen in order to hold her in place.

"Don't go anywhere." Frowning slightly, the red-headed vampire frowned at her pet. "Don't be bad."

"Hold her still, I'm trying to figure this out." Still holding her amulet in one hand, Anyanka rested her free hand on the ensouled vampire's shoulder. "I don't want to screw this up, cause, after all, I could turn her into a brain-dead body."

"Hurt Kitty, and I'll rip your throat out and bathe in your blood." Snarling at the vengeance demon, Willow went silent as she saw her sire glare at her from across the room. "Just make her bad."

"I'm trying." Growling her answer at the vampire, Anyanka turned her gaze back onto Tara's blue eyes. "Just look at me. It's so hard to get a fix on where the stupid soul is."

"P-Please, don't d-d-do…" Trying once more to convince her captor to stop what was happening, Tara felt Willow's finger press down on her lips.

"She said to be quiet, Kitten." Moving herself so that she was directly behind where her pet was standing, the red-headed vampire rested her head over the girl's shoulder. "It'll all be over soon."

"Where the hell is this thing?" Still staring at the vampire's blue eyes, the vengeance demon's face changed into its true form, her expressions having previously been cloaked in a human guise. Seeing the demon's true face, Tara felt like trying to move away again, having learned the most basic information on vengeance demons from her time with Angel. And yet, as she looked back into Anyanka's eyes, she found her body seemingly frozen in place.

"Ah, there it is. Buried in the neck. Strange." Shaking her head slightly while retaining her gaze on the vampire's blue eyes, the vengeance demon moved the amulet off of its chain and gripped it in her hand. "Here goes nothing."

Pressing the green amulet against the ensouled vampire's forehead, the demon was rewarded with the sight of a bright light beginning to escape from the cracks between the amulet itself and the vampire's forehead. Her mind still free to do what it wished, Tara tried to scream, but found her voice locked away in her throat, the words necessary to exclaim her discomfort dying inside her. Her chest erupting into pain, the vampire closed her eyes as she felt as if the useless organs inside her were going to explode. And yet, with each passing second, she felt the feeling of something beating inside both her head and chest beginning to return.

Finally pulling the amulet away, Anyanka looked at the vampire once more. Furrowing her brow, the demon's expression was a cross between confusion and amazement.

"Do you feel any better, Kitten?"

"I didn't remove her soul." Still focusing on the soul in front of her, Anyanka looked down at the amulet in her hand. "I don't understand…"

"What did you do to my Kitty?"

"Put your hand over her chest." Doing as the demon suggested, Willow's green eyes lit up with confusion as she felt a heart-beat vibrating through her pet's chest.

"Your heart's going boom again…" Looking up, the vampire snarled at the vengeance demon. "You didn't make her bad, you made her _normal_ again."

"I said I would try. I didn't guarantee a success." Shaking her head, Anyanka took a few steps back away from where the vampire and human were standing. "And with that, I'm out. You can do whatever you want with her."

Seemingly disappearing from the room without sight or sound, the vengeance demon's voice evaporated from the room. Staring at where his childe and her pet were still standing, the Master's red-eyes evaluated the situation.

"Are you alright, my dear child?"

"Demon ruined Kitty." Her green eyes filled to their absolute brim with anger, Willow held onto her pet even tighter. "She made her heart beat again."

"She turned the girl back into a human?" Curiosity filling out his voice, the elder vampire stepped down from where he had been observing the ritual, and came to stand in front of his childe and her pet. Placing his hand over the girl's chest, the Master's red-eyes widened with shock for a sole minute before they returned to their normal calculating state. "Interesting…"

"She ruined Kitten." Frowning still, the red-headed vampire kissed the girl's cheek for a minute, causing the blonde girl's body to shutter slightly. "Didn't she, Daddy? Make her come back so I can tear her throat out."

"My dear childe, there is not a need for that. Don't you see what she did was a partial success, although most likely not in the manner of which you suspected." Removing his hand from the girl's chest, the Master smiled. "You could turn her yourself."

"I would be Kitten's Momma?" Turning her gaze back onto her pet, Willow's frown gradually began to change into a smile. "And then she would be bad for me."

"And so, what our dear Anyanka did was a success, from a certain point of view." Smiling, the elder vampire turned away and began to return to where his throne was situated. "You should return her to her cell, Willow. Some of our other guests may not be able to restrain themselves."

* * *

Still walking ahead of the vampire holding onto her waist, Tara felt as though her heart would never cease its frantic beating. She remembered the feeling of how it would beat fast once it had been affected by fear and adrenaline, and she wondered if that was what she was feeling. It had been so long since she had been able to feel something inside her chest, besides her stomach, working that she could barely even believe that it was happening.

"Stupid demon ruined my Kitty." Flipping on the light to the room, Willow continued to hold onto her pet as she shut the door behind her and quickly returned the locks to their normal place. "Should have torn her throat out."

"H-H-H-H-H…" Her stutter seemingly having grown worse now that her body had returned had returned to its human form, Tara knew that the red-headed vampire was staring at the back of her head, and most likely her neck.

"What's wrong, Kitten?" Her voice lightening somewhat, although it still retained an angry undertone, Willow waited for her pet's answer.

"H-H-Hungry…"

"Is Kitten's tummy rumbling again?" Moving the hand wrapped around the girl's waist up to her stomach, the vampire sighed. "It doesn't want blood though."

"It d-d-doesn't m-matter…" Shaking her head, Tara felt a tear roll down her cheek. "Y-Y-You're going to t-t-turn me again."

"Don't you want to be all nice and strong again?" Her free hand moving up to stroke the girl's blonde hair, Willow smiled . The girl's heart-beats continued to pound against her eardrums, making the demon inside of her mentally water its mouth. The thought of having a human sleeping in her room, so close to where she could bite her, was a tempting idea that filled the vampire's mind with endless possibilities.

"I could make it all better. One little bite, and Kitten will be all bad, just like she wants." Resting her head atop the human girl's shoulder, Willow pulled Tara to her as she continued to rub the blonde's stomach. Swaying both herself and the girl back and forth to a tune that only she could hear, the red-head could feel the girl's breathing continuing to maintain its excited pace. "I can smell how nervous you are…"

"I…I-I-I…I d-don't w-w-want t-t-to…t-to…"

"You don't want to do what, Kitten?" Breathing out a cold breath onto the girl's neck, Willow smiled as her free hand drifted along the blonde's stomach, snaking inside her shirt in order to feel the warm skin hidden beneath. "Tell your Mommy what you won't want to do."

"I don't w-w-wanna d-die."

"It doesn't hurt, Kitty." Her green eyes staring down at the girl's chest, the red-head felt the rhythm of her pet's heart-beat only continuing to increase. "Your Mommy wouldn't make it hurt. Quick and painless, just like a good Kitten deserves."

"W-Will-" The vampire's name almost completely rolling off of her tongue, Tara fell silent as she felt her captor's grip on her tighten for just a moment. "Mommy…"

Loosening her grip as she heard her pet correct herself, Willow smiled even wider.

"What, Kitten? I'm here."

"D-Don't d-d-do this to m-me a-again…" Shaking her head slightly, the human felt the vampire chuckle somewhat.

"You're just scared. Of what I can do to you." As she heard the red-head's voice whispering in her ear, Tara closed her eyes and shuttered as she felt the vampire's tongue trail along her exposed neck.

"I don't w-w-want to die." As another tear fell from her cheek, the blonde girl felt her legs being forced to fall into step as Willow moved the two of them towards the seemingly inviting bed. With more tears joining the ones that had already fallen, Tara felt the warm mattress come into contact with her back. Opening her blue eyes, the human found the vampire's green eyes studying her.

"Sssshhh, you're just nervous." Her finger moving up in order to wipe away the tears that had fallen from her pet's blue eyes, Willow crawled onto the bed in order to lay beside her. Still breaking down over the events of the past hour, Tara let her body go effectively limb as her mind began to shut down. Her cold fingers stroking her pet's hair, the red-headed vampire's mind was abuzz with the images of what could come from siring the girl herself. She had only sired Xander, and the fun she had had with him had disappeared soon after. With Kitten, the possibilities seemed endless.

Her head still buried in the vampire's clothing, Tara's mind felt nothing but pure fear controlling her body's actions. More than ever, she wished that she were at home with her mother, with the older girl comforting her from the nightmare that she was experiencing. Looking down at the girl, Willow smiled.

"It'll all be over soon, Kitten. I'll make everything better."


	7. Closer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

As she heard the gentle pitter-patter of the rain impacting upon the blackened window, Tara placed her hand against the cool glass. The room around her was silent, considering that her captor had left half an hour earlier in order to feed herself. The door remained locked, with the numerous locks that lay attached to the wooden frame turned into their secure position, ensuring her a little a protection from the numerous vampires that lay outside the world that the room had become to her.

Her body trying to melt into the blanket that she had covered herself with, she felt nothing but another wave of cold rush through her now flowing veins. The way her body had adapted to the cold that accompanied being a vampire still had yet to work in reverse. Even though she should be warm inside, she felt nothing but cold, as if she were sick to some degree.

"Kitty? Are you trying to see outside again?" Turning her head as she heard the vampire's voice, Tara dropped her hand from the window back to her side. With the lack of a proper clock in the room, she had no idea of telling what time it was, aside from knowing that it was night.

"I brought you dinner, Kitten." Holding up the paper bag she held in her fingers' grasp, Willow smiled.

"W-W-W-Where did y-you get it?" Remaining in the spot where she had perched herself on the windowsill, the blonde human watched as her captor approached her. Unable to stop herself from looking at the way the vampire swayed her hips as she walked, the girl swallowed somewhat hard.

"I killed a school girl and stole her lunch." Smiling, the red-headed vampire handed the bag to the girl. "My Kitty needed to eat."

Reaching out to grab the offered bag, Tara saw her captor pull the bag just out of her reach. A smile still adorning her face, the red-head made a tisking sound.

"What do you say?"

"T-Thank y-y-you." As she heard her pet's thanks, Willow handed the bag to her. Eagerly taking the offered bag, Tara opened it and began to shift through the contents held inside. Remaining at the girl's side, the vampire reached out and moved some of the human's hair away from her neck, exposing the skin underneath. Making her fingertips dance over her pet's skin until she found a point where she could feel the girl's pulse, Willow let her cold fingers rest on the place. Keeping her eyes focused on the bag she held in her hands, Tara shivered slightly. She had taken to wrapping herself up in one of the blankets within the room, but even doing that had done little to relieve the constant cold she felt from the air. There was no source of heat within the four walls, at least as far as she could see.

Seeing the girl shivering, Willow frowned, although her green eyes still held the same amount of happiness that they had taken on ever since her return.

"Are you cold, Kitty?" As she watched the girl nod, the red-head's frown only continued to deepen. "Kitten's body's not used to be warm, is it? She's used to be cold."

"Y-Yes…" Nodding her head, Tara felt her captor pull the blanket around her shoulders a little tighter around her frame. Finally looking up from the food she had forced her attention upon, the blonde girl saw those penetrating green eyes staring at her.

"Kitten can't be afraid if she's worried about being warm." Her fingers still dancing somewhat along the girl's neck, the vampire pulled the girl into her grip with only minimal effort and lifted her pet off of the windowsill. As she felt a cold breath bear down on her neck, the human thought for a moment that her newfound life was once more at its end. Seemingly able to sense her pet's fear, Willow chuckled. Pressing her lips against the girl's ear, the red-headed vampire felt the human shiver in her grip.

"Not yet, Kitty. You're not ready yet." Tilting her head in order to look down at her pet, Willow found the girl staring at her with those innocent blue eyes. "Are you?"

Shaking her head, Tara closed her eyes as she reached up and awkwardly pulled the blanket tighter around her frame. Her head buried into the vampire's shoulder, the human girl felt her stomach begging her to eat the food that had been offered to her. The bag still held in her hand, the blonde girl felt the mattress connect with her back.

"You need to eat, Kitten." Sitting down onto the bed beside where she had laid the other girl down, Willow's hand moved some of her pet's hair out of her face. "Mommy got food for you."

"W-Why? Aren't y-y-you just going t-to turn m-me again?"

"Your Mommy cares about you." Nodding, the vampire let her fingers linger on the other girl's cheek. "She wants you to be happy and strong again."

"W-W-What do you mean?"

"She wants to play with you, and you haven't been a naughty Kitten since the Demon made your heart beat again. You've been a good Kitty." Looking at the other girl with her green eyes seemingly aglow with slight disappointment, Willow sighed. "I want my Kitten to be _all_ bad."

"Y-Y-You want to t-turn me b-b-back…" Seeing the vampire nod, Tara closed her eyes.

"You're so warm, Kitty." As she continued to let her fingers roam over the human's warm cheeks, Willow smiled. "You're like a fire, all nice and warm."

Keeping her eyes on the vampire's other hand, Tara forced herself to breathe. Inside her chest, she felt her heart-beat wanting to increase only further as she continued to choke on the fear that had laid somewhat dormant in her heart.

"Do you want to warm your Mommy up?" Still smiling at her pet, the red-headed vampire focused on the other girl's blue eyes. "She's cold."

"I-I-I need to e-eat…" Seeing the disappointment spread across her captor's face, the blonde human held up the bag she still held in her hands. "Y-Y-You said…"

"I know what I said." Still frowning, Willow let her hand fall down to the girl's knee. "Kitten could snuggle with me while she eats though."

"A-A-Alright…" Saying the answer with a small amount of hesitation, Tara saw the frown on the vampire's face turn into an ear-to-ear grin. Her back already pressed against the wooden backboard of the bed, the human focused her gaze on the red-head as she maneuvered herself so that she was sitting beside the girl. Sinking somewhat in order to try and hide herself, Tara found herself virtually melting into the vampire's side, the food she held in her hands shaking slightly.

"Go on, eat up, Kitten." Her hands finding their way into her pet's hair, Willow's fingertips traced each strand from its roots down to where it rested against the girl's shoulders, repeating the gesture over and over again. Keeping her shaking hands on the sandwich that had emerged from the bag, the blonde Wiccan took a small nibble out of it, her stomach leaping at the food that traveled down her throat. Her body urging her to eat more of the food, Tara felt her heart-beat continuing to slow as the fear and adrenaline began to cycle out of her system. Tilting her head as she looked down at the blonde girl, Willow continued to smile.

"Does your tummy feel better now?" Nodding, the human felt her body continuing to relax as the other girl's hands made their way through her hair. Taking another nibble of the sandwich in her hands, Tara closed her eyes. Her smile growing wider as she saw her pet's response, Willow pulled the girl closer to her. "See, Mommy made it all better."

Pulling the drink out of the paper bag, Tara pulled the tab back on the can of soda and pressed it against her lips. As the slightly warm liquid ran down her throat in order to join the food in her stomach, the blonde human rested her head against the vampire's shoulder. Remaining silent in order to see if her pet would respond in any way, the red-head watched as her pet finished off both the sandwich and the soda before settling completely into her side.

"Is my Kitty full now?" Reaching out in order to rub the girl's stomach, Willow smiled. "Talk to me. I want to hear your pretty voice."

"Y-Yes." Nodding as she said her answer, Tara kept her eyes closed as she pulled the blanket tighter around her chest. "C-Cold."

"Aww, my poor Kitten." Pulling the comforter over the human, the red-head watched as her pet continue to shiver. "You can't get warm enough, can you?"

Shaking her head in response, the blonde allowed the vampire to continue to coddle over her. Using her captor's stomach as a make-shift pillow, Tara pulled her knees up to her chest in order to preserve some of her body heat. Playing with the girl's hair, Willow's face seemingly became devoid of any emotion. Breathing in and out, the human felt her mind beginning to go blank as she started to fall asleep. Able to heart her pet's heart-beat beginning to slow down to a more relaxed pace, the vampire eased herself down into a more comfortable position while still accommodating the girl's head.

"Go to sleep, Kitten. Mommy's here."

* * *

"So, Wills, good to see that you're getting out of that room for once." Tearing his eyes away from the television set in front of him, Xander saw his 'sister' scowling at him. "You're still pissed at me."

"You tried to put a stake through my Kitty." Snarling her response at the other vampire, the red-head continued on her way towards the door. "I should have put the stake through _you."_

"Easy there, no need to make with the whole stabbing thing. No-one wants to be dust."

"Then stay away from my Kitten and me." Her green eyes visibly tearing the other vampire to shreds, Willow rested her hand on the doorknob that led to the outside world. "She doesn't need you trying to kill her. She's upset."

"Upset about the whole being a human thing?" Almost unable to catch the look of surprise in the red-head's eyes before it disappeared, Xander smiled. "You didn't really think that you could hide her from me, did you? I can hear her heart-beating, right now actually. She's asleep isn't she?"

"Stay out of my room, Xander." Her voice losing any sense of its seemingly normal playful tone, Willow's fingers curled into a fist. "Kitten doesn't like you."

"She's afraid of us, Wills. We're _vampires,_ remember? Creatures of the night, the things that drain her kind of any blood inside her body? That's what we should be doing to her. _Drinking_ her."

"She's _mine."_ Refusing to restrain herself, the red-head slammed her fist into the other vampire's cheek, causing the male to stagger back a few steps. Getting all the time she needed, Willow threw her 'brother' to the ground, and pressed her boot against his throat. "My pet, _mine, mine, mine."_

"Alright, geez, you're going to break my neck."

"I'd have fun with that. My Kitten could use matches on you." Smiling at her mind's imaginary vision of the human girl pressing burning matches against the other vampire's skin, the red-head rolled her eyes in a playful manner. "Stay away from her."

"Willow, get off of me."

"Promise."

"Wills-" His words becoming cut off as his sister pressed her boot harder against his neck, Xander looked up at the other vampire with true anger lining his pupils.

"_Promise. Me. You. Won't. Hurt. Kitty." _

"I promise!" Shouting out the answer, the male vampire was rewarded with the feeling of Willow's boot lifting from his neck. "Jesus…"

"He doesn't want you." Spitting her answer back at her 'brother', Willow's green eyes held nothing but anger. "Don't you remember the whole crosses don't agree with you thing?"

"Wills-"

"Shut up. I'm going to get more for my Kitten to eat. If you want to hunt, then come on."

* * *

"_Be good while I'm gone, Kitten. Mommy had something important to do. Keep the door locked." _ As she read over the note, Tara breathed a small sigh of relief in knowing that she had the room to herself until her captor eventually, and undoubtedly, returned. She had taken solace in the previous week of having bits and pieces of time to herself, time that she used simply to think. There were times she would place her hand over her heart in order to truly realize that it was actually beating once more. She didn't know whether or not the Powers had intended for this to happen, but she prayed that they didn't. To have a week of being a human once more, only to be re-sired was something that she hoped she could avoid.

And yet…being here made her feel…_safe._ Willow had told her about how Xander had tried to drive a stake through her heart, only to be stopped by the red-head. Apart from forcing her to feed as a vampire, her captor had done nothing to harm her, aside from the spree of matches down in the cells. Since then, nothing. It was as if the vampire was waiting for something.

_She's waiting to turn me. _

Sitting down on the mattress behind her, Tara closed her eyes. She hadn't been able to sleep well for the past days and nights, whichever time of day she found herself tired at. The word 'insomnia' came to mind, but she didn't think that was the real reason. She was, for all intents and purposes, living on borrowed time at the moment. Any moment she wished, her captor could, and would, turn her into a vampire once more, forcing her soul back into the ether. And then once more, the Demon would have full control over body, and all of its actions. Once again, she would helpless to watch her body do unbelievable acts of violence and cruelty. And all of it by Willow's side.

The thought of getting out of the room and possibly escaping Sunnydale came to the list of possibilities, but she knew that it would be near impossible, and even if she did escape, there was nothing to stop Willow from hunting her down and bringing her back, or keeping her prisoner somewhere else. Something told her that whatever the vampire wanted, she usually got. One way or another.

* * *

_The field around her was filled to the brim with flowers and tall grass, both of which wilted slightly as the wind blew across the landscape. Looking out across the open space with her blue eyes, Tara smiled. She felt at peace in that moment, knowing that for once, all the fear she felt was gone, and had given way to unrestrained happiness._

"_Tara Maclay." Hearing her name being called out, the girl opened her eyes as she turned to look at the man calling out her name. As her gaze settled on the man, the blonde's eyes widened._

"_Dad?" As she stared at the figure standing in front of her, Tara felt nothing but shock spread out through her entire body. The man couldn't be here. She had seen the dead body, had seen the massive amount of blood that had spilled out onto the floor of the living room._

"_Don't look at me like that, you insolent little bitch." Snarling his response, Mr. Maclay took a step towards his daughter. "You think we don't know what you did?"_

"_W-W-What did I d-d-do?" _

"_You let the vampires into the house, didn't you? You got so tired of us telling you the truth that you decided to let them kill all of us."_

"_N-No, Daddy, I d-d-didn't…" Shaking her head, the blonde girl took a step back until she felt her back connect with something strong. Turning around, she found herself facing the wall of the Maclay home, the once white walls stained dark red with blood. "I c-c-couldn't…"_

"_Liar." Saying the word with an almost causal tone, the senior Maclay laughed for a moment, the sound of the laughter sending chills down the girl's spine. "You wanted out of this house your whole life, but you just couldn't bear the idea of having us still alive and able to find you. So you let them kill us."_

"_No, I d-d-didn't…" Shaking her head, Tara watched as the man in front of her changed form into something that resembled a female figure. As the figure became more and more human like, the human girl found her heart stopping for a single moment as she realized that she was looking at a mirror image of herself, apart from the fact that the girl's face was contorted into a vampire's unmistakable form._

"_So, you know what, I figured we have some things to work out, don't we, sweetie?"_

"_This isn't real, this isn't real…" Closing her eyes, Tara backed herself firmly against the wall. Seizing the opportunity to close in on the girl, the vampire doppelganger grabbed hold of the human's arms, ensuring that she couldn't escape from her grasp._

"_Oh, it's real. Don't you think you should know yourself?"_

"_No, y-y-you're not r-r-real…"_

"_Stop stuttering and listen to me, you weakling. I'm always in you, understand? No matter how much you try to hide me, I'm always there. You can think all you want that you're some force of good and that you haven't done anything wrong, but you're lying to yourself. You're evil, just like dear old dad told you a million times. E-V-I-L."_

"_And that's all you'll ever be…"_

Her body shooting straight up as she awakened from the nightmare, the human felt as if the world around her had changed to something that's sole goal was to destroy her. Stumbling to her feet as she ripped the covers off of her, Tara felt like the entire room was spinning around her, causing her to feel like she was going to lose her balance and fall to the floor. Steadying herself against the dresser that lay against the wall, the human looked across the entire room in order to find a place that would be small enough to make everything stop spinning. Catching sight of the closet on the opposite wall, the girl stumbled her way to it, almost falling several times in the process. Finally taking the door to closet into her hand, Tara turned the knob and opened it, not even bothering to fumble for the light-switch.

Collapsing against the wall, the girl buried her head into her knees and let the tears fall from her eyes.

* * *

"Kitten? Are we playing hide-and-seek?" Rolling her eyes playfully as she heard no response from the human girl, Willow dropped the paper sack onto the nearby dresser. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Hearing the faint sound of what the vampire's mind deducted to be crying, the red-head perked up her ears in order to find exactly where her pet was hiding. Her senses managing to hear what appeared to be the center of the sound, Willow made her way over to the closet door, the crying she heard only continuing to grow louder and louder the closer she got to the door itself. Mentally counting down to a loose version of three, she opened the door quickly, hoping to surprise the girl hidden inside.

Looking up from where she was sitting against the wall of the closet, Tara knew that there were tears streaming down her face, but she was once more helpless to stop them.

"I found you, Kitten." As she knelt down in front of her pet, Willow noticed the girl's tears and her smile rapidly turned into a frown. "Kitty's sad. Tell Mommy why you're sad."

"I'm e-e-evil…" Shaking her head as she continued to cry, the blonde human couldn't force the images of the dream out of her mind. Her father's words, the way the walls had been covered with the color of blood, all of it had seemed so real. It was as if the ghosts of her past had finally managed to catch up with her.

"Poor Kitten. She still wants to be bad for her Mommy, but she can't, so she's all sad." Her green eyes continuing to watch the other girl as she cried, the vampire held out her arms. "Come here, Kitten, Mommy will make it all better."

Her mind barely able to concentrate on anything but the memories of the dream, Tara found herself crawling into the other girl's embrace. Burying her head into the vampire's leather-clad shoulder, she felt more tears limping down her cheeks. Leaning herself back against the doorway to the closet, the red-headed vampire looked down at the girl crying into her shoulder, and made a small sighing sound.

"You don't like being stuck in that human body, don't you?" Not Seeing nor hearing any response from the human, the vampire made a tisking sound as she looked down at the girl. "Kitty, answer me."

"N-N-No…"

"Sssshhhh, Kitten, that icky soul is making you feel bad." Gathering the sobbing girl up into her arms, Willow turned towards the still unkempt bed. "That's all it is."

"I'm evil, I'm n-n-n-nothing but e-evil…" Her blonde hair resting against her tear-stained cheeks, the human girl felt the mattress made contact with her motionless body. Her arms still wrapped around her pet, Willow frowned.

"Kitty's not bad. Kitten's good." Looking up at the vampire holding her, Tara's eyes flooded with confusion.

"No I'm n-n-not…" Closing her eyes again, the human pressed her head back against the other girl's cold shoulder. "I'm not…"

"Does Kitten want her Mommy to make her strong again?" Her green irises still focused on the girl she was holding, Willow waited for an answer, the demon inside her brain rushing to take control of her body. "She can do that."

"N-N-N-No…" Shaking her head again, Tara buried her head even further into the vampire's shoulder. "No, no, no, no…"

"Only when you're ready, Kitten." Resting her chin against the crying girl's head, Willow closed her green eyes. "Only when you ask for it."

"I don't w-w-w-want it!" Still shaking her head, the human girl felt the vampire's hand rubbing a circle on her back. "D-D-Don't w-want it!"

"Only when you ask. I wouldn't make my Kitten sad by forcing her to be bad." Reaching behind where the girl was laying, Willow pulled the pure red sheets up over top of both of them. "Does that make her feel better?"

"N-N-No…" Shaking her head once more, Tara tried to bring her knees up to her chest in an attempt to curl into a ball, but found her captor's legs effectively wrapped around her own. "I d-d-don't w-want to die a-again…"

"But you'll be all big and strong. You could make Mommy proud of you." Her hand resuming its rubbing of the girl's back, the vampire used her free hand to run her fingers along the side of the girl's body. "You could play with Puppy, and your little tummy wouldn't ever be empty again."

"It hurts…Dad s-said I was e-evil…"

"Everything hurts, Kitten, but I could make it better." Feeling the slightly rough feel of leather against her cheek, Tara turned her head slightly as she sniffled back another new wave of tears. Still frowning at the other girl, Willow wiped away some of her pet's tears. "Stop crying, Kitten. You're not bad. The dream Daddy was wrong."

"He w-w-was right though. I'm e-evil. Y-You're going to make m-me evil a-again…" Closing her eyelids over her reddened eyes, the human pressed her head a little more into the pillow that the vampire had laid her on. "Everything h-h-hurts."

"Mommy's going to make you big and strong again, don't worry." Her red-hair hanging around her face, Willow kept her green eyes focused on the human girl. "Does Kitten want to be strong again?"

"I w-want it to s-stop hurting." Pointing to her chest, the blonde let another short stream of tears fall down her cheek. "I don't w-w-want to r-remember w-w-what I did."

"But my Kitty loves to be bad and naughty." Pouting, the red-head pushed some of the girl's blonde hair out of her face. "I heard you in your dream. You were being bad, all nice and naughty for your Mommy."

Unsure of what to say as she felt embarrassment flood through her mind, Tara buried her face into the vampire's neck, pressing her lips against the exposed skin there in the process.

"Aww, Kitten wants to snuggle with her Mommy." Pressing her face against her pet's neck in the same manner, Willow's tongue made it ways across the girl's neck. Shuttering slightly, Tara pressed her lips against the vampire's ear, causing her captor to raise her head in order to look into her blue eyes.

"_Ohhhh, I see." _A smile spreading across her face, the red-headed vampire's fingers made their way underneath the other girl's shirt in order to reach the skin hidden underneath. "You want to be a naughty Kitten."

Finding herself unable to speak, the blonde human simply nodded her answer, causing her captor to smile even wider.

"But Kitten can't say that, can she? She's too afraid of being bad." Seeing only another nod from her pet, Willow chuckled slightly. "Silly Kitten. Mommy likes it when you're naughty."

Easing herself down onto the other girl, Willow pressed her lips against the human's forehead, noticing that Tara had kept her eyes open instead of closing them.

"And you keep your pretty eyes open for Mommy, alright?"

"O-Ok…" Stuttering out an answer in a voice that barely qualified as a whisper, Tara felt her captor's hand snake up through the shirt she was wearing in order to reach one of her breasts. Shivering at the difference in temperature between her warm skin and the vampire's freezing cold hands, the human resisted the urge to close her eyes as some of the warmth flooded out of her body.

"Good Kitten." Still smiling, the red-headed vampire's free hand started to tug up the girl's shirt until it could go no further without the blonde's assistance. Sitting up slightly so that the other girl could lift the shirt completely off of her body, Tara kept her eyes focused on the vampire's green irises. Her mind was still consumed in its confused state, and as a result, didn't attempt to persuade her to stop what she and the vampire would end up doing. Her own, slightly shaking hands reaching behind her captor's back, the human's fingers played slightly with the corset that the vampire was seemingly never without. As her fingertips made contact with the ties that connected the piece together, Tara saw Willow's green eyes lit up slightly.

"Someone's being an insistent little Kitten tonight." Chuckling again, the red-head reached behind her back in order to undo the ties that her pet had started on. After a minute or so, the last tie became unfastened and the vampire shrugged the piece off of her body, exposing a simple leather shirt underneath. Her fingers falling down to the button on the human's loaned pants, Willow pulled the button apart from where it was fastened, and slid the connected zipper down. Using her free hand to let her fingers dance across her pet's bare skin, the vampire saw the way Tara was hungrily looking at her face. Sliding her recently freed hand from where it had unzipped the other girl's pants, the red-head toyed with the bottom of her shirt before pulling it off slowly and seductively.

Noticing that she still had her pet's unfaltering attention, Willow dropped the article of clothing to the floor where it came to rest atop Tara's own shirt. As her blue eyes set their gaze on the vampire's breasts, Tara bit the top of her lip slightly as she felt her mouth beginning to water. Her instincts having full taken over all of her body's actions, she found herself wanting the vampire more and more. Seeing the look of arousal that had filled out the girl's blue eyes, the red-head's smile became doused in a playful spirit.

"You know, I don't know if you were good enough to have Mommy let you be naughty." Stopping what she was doing, Willow pressed a finger to her chin in an exaggerated gesture of thinking. "Maybe Kitten was bad and she shouldn't get to be naughty."

Shaking her head, Tara tried to reach up and grab the other girl's hand, but felt the vampire's free hand take hold of both of her wrists, and hold them above her head.

"No, no, only Mommy gets to decide whether or not you can do that." Wagging her finger back and forth in a playful scolding manner, the red-headed vampire's smile turned somewhat lop-sided. "And she still doesn't know if her baby Kitten was good or not."

"I w-w-was g-good…" Nodding nervously as she looked up at the vampire, Tara squirmed slightly underneath the vampire straddling her. Upon hearing her pet's answer, Willow chuckled before resting her head on the other girl's chest.

"Then I guess your Mommy will let you be the naughty little Kitten you are."

* * *

Opening her eyes, Tara felt something cold lying around her waist, the sensation seemingly bypassing her clothes altogether in order to touch her bare skin. Trying to readjust herself in order to make herself more comfortable, the blonde human's mind struggled to comprehend where it was. Looking down at where the sheets had fallen off of her body, the human's eyes grew wider as she saw why she felt cold.

Realizing that the cold around her waist was coming from Willow's touch, Tara found that her body was completely devoid of any clothing, leaving her as naked as the day she was born. Looking as far over the edge of the bed as she could manage without stirring the vampire holding onto her, the blonde found her clothes lying in a pile on the floor, the garments intertwined with the vampire's usual leather attire.

Twisting her head as far she could manage, the girl found a pair of green eyes staring back at her attentively.

"Morning, Kitten." Willow purred as she nuzzled her head into the blonde girl's shoulder. "Sleep well?"


	8. Climax

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. **

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Letting her head drop back to the pillow beneath her, Tara continued to feel nothing but shock flooding through all of her senses. The images of what had happened the night before continued to play over and over again inside her mind's eye, as if it were some rerun of a television series. The sensations came back as well, what she and her captor had done together, what she had felt, _all_ of it.

"Did you?" Her face nuzzled into her pet's neck, Willow's green eyes remained sealed out against the room around her. "You got so tired after you were done being naughty."

"Y-Y-Yes…" Nodding as she felt the vampire's tongue make contact with her neck, the human girl felt the cold arm around her waist move down slightly.

"I know you did." Raising her head from its perch, Willow looked down at the girl with her happy green eyes. "Mommy knows when her Kitty is happy. And you were so happy last night that you just went right to sleep, like a little Kitten, all snuggled and warm."

"D-Did I?"

_"Mhm."_ Nodding, the red-headed vampire allowed the girl to turn around so she was able to face her. "And then you dreamed naughty little dreams for me."

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Tara heard the vampire making a tisking sound.

"And now Kitty's all ashamed of what she did. You don't have to be afraid or embarrassed."

"A-Alright." Pulling on the pair of leather pants that lay on the floor at her feet, Tara felt her body shutter for a moment as the vampire gently ran her nails along her bared back.

"I liked you being naughty, Kitty. You're a naughty little thing." Smiling, Willow moved closer to the girl in order to rest her head on the girl's shoulder. "Did you like being a naughty Kitten for your Mommy?"

"Y-Y-Yes…" Nervously replying to the red-headed vampire, Tara got onto her feet. "C-Can I use t-the shower?"

"Go ahead." Her green eyes catching some of the light from the lamp illuminating the room, the red-head smiled ear-to-ear. "Does my little Kitty need to warm herself up?"

Only giving a nod in response, the human turned away and headed towards the bathroom, her naked feet making a soft sound on the wooden floor. Watching her pet leave, Willow smiled as her green eyes danced along the human's body. She had had fun with her pet the 'night' before, considering that they were well into the afternoon of the day at the moment. Since the other girl had been reverted into her human form, she had still followed the same sleeping patterns she had when she had been in her vamperic form.

Curling back into the warm sheets beneath her, the vampire closed her eyes as she listened to the sound of the water in the shower starting to run. Counting the individual drops that her heightened senses could hear, she smiled as she imagined in her mind's eye what her pet looked like behind the shower curtain that effectively hid her from view.

* * *

Scanning the area immediately around the door, Tara felt somewhat relieved to see that there was no-one else in sight, at least as far she could manage to see from her position in the doorway. Taking a cautious step out onto the floor, she could feel her heart beating fast in her ear, drowning out every other possible sound in the vicinity. Taking more steps with each passing minute, the girl felt a small sense of victory as she reached the steps that led down to the ground floor of the house. Stepping down onto the first step, she repeated the slow process until finally, her feet were on the ground floor once more.

Her heart still beating loudly in her ear, she scanned the connecting rooms in order to make sure that none of the other vampires were around. Considering what Willow had warned her about, she knew that if the other demons even caught a glimpse of a human in their midst, they wouldn't hesitate to try and take a bite out of her. The only place that she was truly safe was back in the room, but considering how there was a distinct lack of food, the risk she was taking was worth it. Seemingly gliding across the kitchen floor, her target being the refrigerator located on the far side of the room, the girl bit her tongue inside her mouth as her heart beat only continued to increase. As her fingers wrapped around the door and pulled it open, she quickly scanned the contents inside, and upon finding a large collection of soda cans, she took one into her hand, and felt relieved to know that the drink was cold.

As she gently shut the refrigerator door behind her, Tara held her prize tightly in her hand. It had been close to four or five hours since her captor had left the house, and although the promise that the vampire would bring her food still floated through her mind, she couldn't make the thirst in her throat die. With the can of soda in her hand feeling cold against her warm palm, the human girl forced herself to take a deep breath as she took the first step out of the room.

"Find what you were looking for?" Freezing in her place, the blonde girl turned her head in time to see a hand coming towards her. Managing to duck with only a few seconds to spare, she looked up at the vampire that she had seen only twice before, both of which had been mere weeks ago. Struggling to remember the demons' name, Tara felt the sturdiness of the wall behind her make contact with her back just as the vampire seemingly appeared in front of her. "Guess Wills didn't have anything stocked up there for you."

"S-S-Stay b-back…"

"God, what did you just say? I couldn't understand you with that stutter coming out of your mouth." As the vampire's insult flew into her ears, the human looked anywhere around her for a weapon of some sort that she could use. Finding nothing, she finally looked up before turning away as she found a pair of yellow eyes staring down at her.

"W-W-Willow w-wouldn't like w-what you're doing t-to me…"

"And what makes you think I _care?_ I already tried to kill you once. Did she tell you about that? I came up and I was gonna put a stake right through your little unbeating heart. But then you had to go turn back into a human. Still, makes my job a little bit easier, and a little more enjoyable."

"W-Willow…" Staring another sentence, Tara screamed as the vampire pressed his cold hand against her mouth.

"Let's not bring her up again, it's just you and me now. Personally, I'm wondering how you taste, since Willow won't tell me if she's sampled you yet or not." Her instincts kicking in as a fresh wave of adrenaline began to pour through her veins, Tara kicked up with her leg until it made contact with the area between the male vampire's legs. Taken off-guard, Xander stumbled backwards, leaving an area open enough that the human ran towards the stairs. Charging up the wooden case, Tara could hear Xander already beginning to give chase. The open doorway becoming a welcomed sight, she dived into the room and pulled the door shut behind her.

Her fingers racing to redo the locks that lay attached the door, the human girl could hear the vampire beginning to pound on the door, obviously not intending on giving up the chase oh-so-soon. Pushing the last lock into place, the human breathed out as her heart threatened to explode inside her chest from its frantic pace. Pressing herself against the door even as the vampire's fist broke the wood, Tara felt her heart racing inside her chest as adrenaline began to pour through her veins. More than ever, she prayed that her captor would return and make everything stop, even if it meant that she would return to her vamperic state. Anything was better than sitting here, helplessly holding back a door that was being destroyed around her.

"Come on out, little girl! I'm Willow's friend, remember? I watched her play with you before." His hand searching out for the human's form, Xander's yellow eyes struggled to see through the jagged edges that his punch had left in the door. Her fingers struggling to hold the various locks in place, the blonde girl finally gave up and darted for one of the spell books that her captor had left for her to read. Numerous pages had been ripped out, however, and she prayed that they weren't any of the more offensive spells that she was so desperately in need of at the moment.

"Alright, I've had enough of this foreplay." Finally breaking down the door as Tara flipped past the slightly familiar pages she had been able to look over in the past days, Xander's yellow eyes showed nothing but blood-thirst. "So why don't we move onto the main act?"

"Where is it? Where is it?!" Shouting aloud as her eyes continued to frantically scan the pages in front of her, Tara felt her heart stop as a boot kicked away the spell book in front of her.

"Opps, guess someone isn't looking up any spells anymore." Smiling down at the girl, Xander reached out in order to grab her. Throwing herself underneath the bed at her side, the blonde girl scurried away from the Demon as fast as she could manage. Watching the way his sister's pet was trying to escape, Xander rolled his eyes.

"Are we going to have to do this chase game? Willow might be into it when you two are going at it, and all, but I'm not here for that." Still crawling across the floor towards the box of matches that lay on the night-table at the opposite side of the bed, Tara's hand reached out for the box as she cleared the bottom of the furniture piece, but she cried out in pain as the vampire's hand grabbed her wrist and applied more than enough pressure to it to make it erupt into pain.

"Xander!" Turning her head as she continued to try and fight back tears, Tara felt her spirits lift slightly as she saw Willow appear in the doorway, her expression only showing the momentous amount of anger she felt. "_Let. Her. Go."_

"Come on, Wills, you're going to sire her any way. What's one little bite going to do?"

"She's mine. Kitten is _mine."_ Dropping the bag of clothes that she had been carrying, the red-headed vampire leapt at her brother, causing him to release his grip on her pet's wrist. Kicking herself under the bed while holding her pained limb, Tara saw the two vampires continuing to fight, with Willow seemingly going into a primal state as her face morphed into its true form in order to strengthen her body. The two continued to punch at each other from where they lay toppled atop each other before Xander kicked his sister with enough force that she was sent soaring through the air until her back made contact with one of the opposing walls.

"Damn it, Wills, you're starting to get a little obsessive with this whole thing." Watching as the other vampire caught sight of something sticking out of the bag of clothes she had brought, Xander took a step towards her until her hand came back up amid a cloud of smoke. Feeling nothing but repulsion sink into his brain, the male vampire turned away. Looking out from where she was still hidden underneath the bed, Tara's eyes widened in shock as she realized her captor was holding a small crucifix necklace in her hand. The female vampire was obviously in a great deal of pain, as evident by the expression her face held, and the amount of smoke rising from her clenched fingers.

_"Get. Out."_ Growling the two words at her 'brother', Willow watched as he quickly fled from the room rather than be confronted with the religious piece. Sure that her 'brother' had gone, the red-head's face changed back into its human guise, and she dropped the jewelry piece to the floor and kicked it out the door. Beginning to move out from under the bed, Tara saw the way those green eyes almost entirely let go of their angry glare once they caught sight of her. She knew she was already crying from the amount of pain inflicted on her wrist, but her mind was only able to focus on trying to reach the spot where her captor was standing.

"Come here, Kitty, it's alright." Gathering the girl into her arms, Willow looked down at her hand and saw the imprint of the silver object that had been burned into her palm. As the girl crawled into her grip, the red-headed vampire pressed her hand against the girl's back, showing her in the usual manner that she was safe. "Did Xander hurt my Kitten?"

"He t-t-tried t-to…" Nodding, Tara pressed the sleeve of her shirt against her eyes in order to prevent any more tears from flowing down her cheeks. "My w-w-wrist h-h-hurts..."

"Mommy made him go away." Staring at the destroyed door, Willow shook her head slightly. "We're going to have to go somewhere else, Kitten. Mommy can't protect you here."

"I w-want to b-b-be s-safe." Her eyes still staring at the vampire holding her, Tara knew that she must look pathetic, considering how she had effectively broken down at least two times within the past twenty-four hours. No wonder Willow liked her, she was virtually becoming a _toy._

"I know you do, Kitten." Nodding, the red-head raised her hand so that it was inches away from one of the blonde's eyes. "Look at my eyes."

"W-W-Why?"

"Just look at them, Kitten. You'll feel all better in a moment." Obeying the vampire's order, Tara looked at the penetrating green eyes that stared at her. Looking deeper and deeper into those green irises, the human felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier with each passing second. The red-head's hand still supporting her back, she opened her mouth to speak, but found the words gone from her mind as all of her thoughts began to fade away. Finally closing her eyes, Tara rested her head against the vampire's shoulder, and felt the world around her disappear.

* * *

Shaking her head, Tara felt cold, as if her entire body had been encased in a solid block of ice. Moving her arm in order to feel out what was around her, she heard the unmistakable sound of a chain clanging against metal. Her spirits dropping slightly as the sound rattled around in her brain, she opened her eyes and found the familiar sight of a shackle once again locked around her wrist. It had been days since the object had been on her, considering that her captor hadn't locked her to the bed since the first night she had been reverted to her human state. The idea of going back to be limited to the bed was something that she didn't' even want to fathom.

"You're awake, Kitty." Emerging out of the shadows, Willow smiled at the girl. "Somebody slept for a long time again. You must be all nice and rested now."

"W-W-Where are w-we?" Looking around at her surroundings, Tara saw that the relative comfort of the room had changed to that of the seemingly cold appeal of stone walls in what seemed to be a crypt. Almost instantly, she didn't feel as safe as she had before. The last possible thing she remembered was looking into the vampire's eyes as she fell asleep, and then the world had gone black. There had been no dream to remember, no nightmare to haunt her, just blackness as she slept. Her blue irises focusing on the vampire as she came closer, the human forced herself to breathe.

"Somewhere where you're safe." Offering the girl a smile, Willow traced her fingers against the metal backboard of the bed that lay situated in the middle of what could be called the crypt's center room. Turning her head in order to watch where her captor went, Tara felt a hand creep down onto her shoulder, momentarily startling her before she relaxed as she realized that it was only Willow touching her.

"What did y-you d-do to me?"

"You were upset, so I calmed you down." Tilting her head as she came to a stop directly behind where the other girl was laying with her back to the metal bars that composed the backboard of the bed, the vampire smiled and ran her free hand through the human's hair. "I put my little Kitten to sleep so she would relax while her Mommy made her safe."

"Did y-y-you put me u-under a thrall?"

"Maybe…" Noticing how stiff the girl had become from her answer, the red-head sighed. "I haven't done it before, Kitty. You were too upset for me to calm you down any other way. You understand, don't you?"

"T-That doesn't c-change that you did something t-to me…" Frowning, Willow turned and made her way around the side of the bed until she was standing at the girl's side.

"That's not all you're upset about, is it?"

"Y-You put this b-back on me." Lifting her arm so the shackle was in plain view, Tara couldn't help but frown. Noticing the way the human was frowning at her, the vampire mimicked the expression.

"Don't be sad, Kitten. It's only until Mommy makes sure that you can't go out on your own and get hurt. She doesn't want you trying to run away." Reaching out, the red-head ran her fingers along the human's cheek until she reached the lobe of the girl's ear. "You don't want to make her sad, do you?"

Shaking her head, Tara kept her blue irises focused on the floor below the bed she was laying on. Still frowning, the vampire kneeled down so that her face was directly in front of Tara's.

"Please talk to me, Kitten. I want you to be safe. That's all." Tilting her head so that it was almost entirely in the girl's lap, Willow looked up at her pet with her green eyes filled with slight sorrow. "You're my favorite."

Finally moving her head so that her eyes were staring straight into her captor's, the human sighed.

"Can y-y-you please t-take this off?" Lifting her arm so that the chain connected to the shackle rattled, Tara actually found herself pouting. "Please?"

"No, Kitten. Pouting won't make Mommy help you be naughty." Wagging her finger, Willow shook her head. "Not until she's sure you're safe."

"P-P-Please?" Still pouting, the blonde girl closed her eyes for a moment as the red-headed vampire pressed her lips against her forehead.

"No. You want to be a naughty Kitten though, don't you? Being naughty so much last night made you want more?"

"C-Can I have s-s-something to d-drink?" Frowning at the way the human had changed the subject, Willow nevertheless turned to a small black box that lay in the corner of the room. Pulling up the lid of the box, she turned back to Tara with a bottle of water held in her hand, the temperature of the liquid held inside matching that of her palm perfectly. Returning to where she had been kneeling earlier, the vampire held up the bottle to her pet.

"My Kitten won't stop pouting." Pressing a finger to her chin as she returned to where she had been kneeling in front of the girl, Willow watched as her pet somewhat greedily took the bottle of water that she had been offered. "What should I do to make her stop?"

Taking a large gulp of the liquid as she unscrewed the cap, Tara kept her blue eyes trained on the vampire watching her.

"Should I spank her until her ass is bright red and put her in the corner?" Thinking aloud to herself, the red-headed vampire almost chuckled as she saw the girl freeze in front of her. "That would make her stop pouting, and then she would want to snuggle with her Mommy."

_"W-W-What?"_

"But that would make her want to be a naughty Kitten even more." Smiling at the girl whose undivided attention she had now obtained, Willow smiled. "Which one do you want me to do to you, Kitty? Spanking, or letting you be naughty? _Both?" _

"I-I-I…"

"I think you want me to let you be so naughty that you make me spank you so you'll be good again." Grinning ear-to-ear, the vampire reached out and laid her fingers against the girl's cheek. "I think you want that."

Shaking her head, Tara's blue irises filled up with fear. Still smiling, Willow let her fingers seemingly move across her pet's cheek on their own accord.

"You wouldn't let your Mommy do that to you? You don't want to be punished like the little naughty Kitten you are?" Morphing her lips out into a pout, Willow returned to her full height. "That makes me sad."

"B-B-But I-I…"

"But you want to be a naughty Kitten…" Unable to stop herself from nodding, Tara saw her captor smile back at her. "You just don't want me to spank you."

Nodding again, the human saw the red-head bend over slightly as her fingers drifted towards the button of her pet's pants.

"See, that's all you had to do. Just smile and nod." Her fingers finally undoing the button on the girl's pants, Willow's cold hand reached down until it made contact with the sex hidden beneath the article. Taking a sharp breath, Tara focused on the vampire's eyes, taking in every individual detail of the way they moved and observed her. Feeling a finger work its way into her waiting sex, the human gasped, although she tried to make the breath as subdued as she possibly could.

Pressing her lips against the girl's, Willow's tongue probed every possible point for entry into her pet's mouth. Parting her lips in order to allow the other girl access to her mouth, Tara did the same, and found that the vampire's mouth was seemingly inviting her to do so. Her finger still moving about in a circle inside the girl's damp sex, Willow split her attention between doing so and kissing the human's mouth. Minutes seemingly turned into hours as the blonde girl could only feel the sensations of both the vampire's tongue making contact with her and the finger inside her dampening sex.

Noticing how still her pet's fingers were, Willow reached down and grabbed one of them with her free hand and pressed the digits against the crotch of her leather pants. Letting the vampire guide her hand, Tara remained entirely focused on returning the kiss that she was being presented with. Her cold palm still holding the girl's hand in place for a moment, Willow finally broke the kiss for a moment in order to grab hold of the bottom of the other girl's shirt.

Placing her free hand on the opposite side of the shirt that the vampire was tugging on, the girl helped her pull the article completely off, leaving herself completely naked from the waist up. Her finger stopping its circular motion from where it lay inside the girl's un-buttoned leather pants, the red-head looked down at the other girl with a grin spread across her face.

"You don't like your Mommy wearing all these clothes, do you?" Chuckling as she saw the girl nod, the vampire momentarily brought the human's fingers to her mouth and rolled her tongue over some of the digits. As a shiver ran down her spine, Tara closed her eyes before opening them in time to see that the red-head had let go of the hand that her captor had guided to her crotch, and that it remained in that place without the vampire's guidance.

Barely even thinking about what she was doing anymore, the girl took hold of the bottom of the vampire's leather shirt. Biting down on her lip for what seemed like the umpteenth time, Tara felt the red-head's finger leave her sex in order to make it easier for her to remove the shirt. Noticing that her captor was without her seemingly always present corset that accompanied her leather attire, the human tugged up on the shirt. Reaching down in order to help the girl dispense with the garment, Willow threw the shirt to the ground. Pressing her lips against the blonde's waiting pair, the vampire's tongue once again found solace in her pet's mouth. Slowly finding herself meeting the other girl's passion with her own, Tara closed her eyes and brought her hands to rest on the vampire's hips. Despite the presence of the shackle locked around her wrist, the human let her fingers slowly trail along the red-head's cold, bare skin.

Her brain mentally smiling at the way the girl was responding to her attention, Willow somewhat gently pushed her back onto the waiting mattress. The action causing the chain connected to her shackle to rattle slightly, the human girl looked up at her captor with questioning eyes. Her lips finally breaking out to form a smile, the red-headed vampire bent down so that she was positioned over the girl's pants. Continuing on without any further sign or word, she slipped her fingers underneath the waist of the leather piece and pulled them down until they too lay in the rapidly growing pile of clothing at their feet.

Already back on top of the girl, Willow's lips once again resumed their assault against her pet's mouth. Kissing the vampire back with what by now counted as an equal amount of passion, Tara felt her body becoming slightly weak from the lack of contact that she had felt since the red-head's finger had left its place in her sex. Resting her hand as far down the vampire's back as she could manage with her shackled hand, the human whimpered as she felt the other girl's head begin to drift further and further down her chest. Laying kisses across every inch of skin that her lips came into contact with, Willow finally sank low enough that her head was positioned in between the girl's thighs.

Wrapping her arms around the girl's legs, the red-head looked up to see the girl's eyes staring down at her. Giving her a lopsided grin, the vampire turned her attention back to the newly uncovered skin in front of her. Brushing her fangs along the edge of the girl's inner thigh, Willow heard an appropriate whimper from her pet as a result of the touch. Smiling, the vampire buried her face in the waiting sex between the girl's thighs, only continuing on as she heard Tara's whimpers and groans becoming louder and louder with each movement her tongue and fingers made. Shaking her head back and forth against the pillow as she felt the vampire's tongue slide inside her sex, the human clenched and unclenched her fists in rapid succession as an attempt to alleviate some of the growing pressure she felt inside her.

From outside the crypt, everything was seemingly silent until the sound of a passion filled scream echoed across the graveyard as Tara finally climaxed. All of the air expelling from her chest as she screamed out, the human closed her eyes as her exhausted body let out a breath that she had barely been holding inside for the past few minutes. Raising her head from where it had been buried in the her pet's wet sex, Willow smiled as she saw a pair of exhausted blue eyes staring down at her.

"All done, Kitten?" Seeing the girl slowly nod her head, the red-headed vampire rested her chin on the human's stomach as her grin infectiously spread ear-to-ear. Still breathing heavily, Tara closed her eyes before opening them once more, the action obviously subdued from the exhaustion in her body. "You're such a naughty little thing, aren't you?"

_"G-G-Goddess…"_ Whispering the word, Tara closed her eyes as she continued to breathe deeply in and out. Smiling, the vampire pressed her lips against the girl's belly-button before moving in order to rest her head against the girl's arm. Her eyes still closed, the human let her body go limp as her captor snaked her arm underneath her body until the cold limb had a strong but yet gentle hold on her waist. Pulling the girl to her, Willow looked directly into her eyes.

"Is that your little pet name for me when I let you be naughty with me?" Remaining silent as she tried to regain her breath, Tara nodded in response to the question. Burying her head into the girl's neck, the red-headed vampire brushed her fangs over the skin of the blonde's neck. Hearing a whimper escape from her pet's lips, Willow smiled and ran her tongue along the same path she had made with her teeth.

"Are you glad Mommy helped you finish?" Nodding once more, Tara finally opened her eyes and looked around the room. Everything was in exactly the same shape that it had been more than an hour ago, apart from the scattered clothes that lay around the floor beside the bed. Every portion of her body was seemingly drenched in sweat and she felt as if she were inside an oven, apart from the sole portion of her body that had the vampire's arm wrapped around it. Her mind still unable to think straight, the girl whispered something in such a low volume that even she had trouble properly hearing or understanding what it meant. As she said the sentence, she kept her blue eyes focused on a spot on the vampire's shoulder, unwilling to meet her eyes. Already knowing the expression that had spread across the red-head's face, Tara mentally started to count how many breaths she was taking at a time, using the numbers to ground her mind to the present instead of allowing her emotions to overtake her thinking.

"What did you say, Kitten? I didn't hear you." Her captor was lying of course, she had heard what her pet had said. She just wanted to hear it once more. Staring into the vampire's green eyes with all the courage that she could muster, Tara swallowed somewhat hard as every possible sensation of fear fully sank into her tone of voice. She knew exactly what she was giving up by saying the statement, but she knew that with where she was, it wouldn't matter. If she didn't have power of any kind, she wouldn't be alive much longer, and she couldn't take the constant pressure of the fear of being killed beat down on her any longer. If saying those words made her feel protected by the red-head, then it could make her heart and mind calm down finally.

And she knew from personal experience that denying one's heart only lead to heartbreaks, pain, and suffering, all of the things that she had seen and felt too much of in the past year to stand any longer.

"I love you."


	9. Answers

**Chapter 9**

Staring back at the human girl lying beside her, Willow was silent, her green eyes actually refusing to show emotion for the slightest of seconds. Holding her breath as she waited for the vampire's response, Tara felt her heart wanting to virtually explode out of her chest and suck the life out of her. The feeling of regret began to sink into her brain, making her feel like she might have just signed her own death warrant by telling a _vampire _she _loved_ her. _That's not something you do…right? Oh, Goddess, she's going to kill me…_

"I know, Kitten." Finally speaking up, the red-headed vampire's face remained emotionless as she spoke. Although she used the same name she had always used when speaking to her, Tara noticed that there was no familiar sense of playfulness in the name. It was almost as if she were…_shocked._ That realization only caused the human girl to feel more and more fearful of what the vampire's reaction may turn into. "I know."

"W-W-What do y-y-you mean?"

"Because your Mommy loves you too." Giving a small nod, the vampire still refused to show any other emotion. "She loves her little, fuzzy Kitten."

"Y-Y-You l-love me?" Realizing that it was her turn to sound shocked, Tara swallowed hard even though her throat was almost completely dry. Nodding, Willow's body remained immobile, as if something were holding her down. "H-How…"

"The matches made me do it, when I touched your pretty skin. The bad Kitten made me do it when she sucked on my finger in order to fill up her tummy. The human Kitten made do it because she needed me." Offering the girl a small smile, Willow tried her best not to use her normally dominant predatory nature, and make the smile as meaningful as she could. _"My _Kitten made me do it because she needed a Mommy to love her."

"I-I…y-you love me back?"

"Mommy loves her Kitten." As she heard the vampire's sentence roll off of her tongue, Tara's mind became abuzz with the entire notion of what her captor was trying to tell her. Behind the child-like way of talking that the red-head always used in her presence, the human could tell that there was something of truth behind the feelings the girl was trying to describe to her. Granted, the way she spoke gave each of the words a dark edge to them, but the message remained the same.

The vampire loved her back.

"Y-Y-You mean it?" Seeing the other girl nod, Tara closed her eyes and tried to steady her heart's frantic rhythm.

"You seemed surprised to hear Mommy say that." Staring at the girl's expression, Willow couldn't help but notice the way that surprise lined her pet's face. "Hasn't anyone ever told you they love you before?"

"N-N-No…" Shaking her head whilst her eyes remained closed, Tara felt the vampire pull her body closer to her. "T-T-There's n-never been anyone…"

"No-one ever wanted the pretty Kitten?"

"N-No…" Shaking her head once more, the human felt some cold press against her forehead. As she opened her eyes, she realized that it was the vampire's lips pressing down on her skin. Breaking the small kiss after a minute's time, Willow stared at the girl's now open eyes.

"Poor little Kitty." Reaching out and running her finger along the edge of the girl's cheek, the vampire frowned. "No-one ever paid you any of the attention that a good Kitty should get."

Her fingers still trailing over the other girl's bared skin, Willow's frown turned into a smile.

"Did anyone ever make you finish before, Kitten?" Seeing the girl shake her head, the vampire's green eyes became reignited with the playfulness that they had held before. "Maybe you should thank Mommy then…"

"T-Thank-" Starting to speak, Tara felt a cold finger press against her lips, effectively silencing her in one quick motion.

"Uh, uh, show Mommy what she did to you." Smiling, the vampire removed her finger and leaned in closer to the girl's face. "Can you do that for me?"

Realizing what her captor was trying to imply, Tara nodded as she stared into the green eyes laying only inches away from her face. Leaning in slowly until the distance between herself and the other girl's lips had been reduced to nothing, the girl pressed her lips gently against the vampire's own waiting pair. Able to feel the red-head parting her lips, the human plunged her tongue into the other girl's awaiting mouth. Closing her eyes, Willow ran her free hand up and down her pet's thigh, the difference in temperature sending goosebumps up and down Tara's skin. Continuing on despite noticing the fact that her body was starting to tremble from a combination of the hand running over her bare skin and the way the vampire was being strangely obedient to the things she wanted to do, Tara reached up and laid her hand on the red-head's bared shoulder. The material of her captor's leather pants brushing against her naked legs, the human shivered once again.

Somewhat unsure of where to move in order to do the action her thoughts were mulling over, the human felt a pair of cold hands guide her off of the bed until she was sitting atop the vampire's thighs. Her blue eyes staring at the face looking up at her, the blonde human swallowed somewhat hard.

"There you go, Kitten. Better view?" Willow asked as she noticed the mixture of nervousness and desire that lined her pet's face. "Are you enjoying what Mommy's letting you do?"

Nodding, Tara actually felt a grin come to her face against her better judgment. Noticing the expression, the red-headed vampire returned the grin with an ear-to-ear smile.

"Mommy can tell. Her Kitten's smiling big and wide." Her hand still gripping the girl's hips, Willow gave one of them a small pinch, and her smile grew even wider as she heard the girl squeak slightly. "And she's a squeaky Kitten."

"Do y-you w-w-want me to…"

"Do whatever you want to your Mommy, little Kitten." Her smile seemingly growing even wider than it had been before, the red-headed vampire ran her hand up and down the girl's right side. "She won't be mad if you're naughty to her."

Her thoughts finally beginning to be affected by the desire that she had felt slowly building up inside her for the past hour, Tara leaned down and pressed her lips against Willow's own, her tongue probing until it found entry into the vampire's mouth. Her head resting on the pillow beneath her red locks, Willow purred slightly as she felt a warm hand running along her stomach. Closing her eyes, the red-head's fingers continued to run across the warm skin that lay underneath them. As the red-headed vampire felt her pet's lips break the kiss, she felt a warmth flow into her skin as the girl took hold of her wrists. Her green eyes staring up at the girl, Willow felt the human lift them and hold them above her head.

"Oh, I see. Kitten remembers what her Mommy did the first time…" Rolling her eyes playfully, the vampire arched her hips into the girl straddling her. "That the response you wanted to see, Kitty?"

A smile gracing her lips, Tara nodded before pressing her lips back against the vampire's mouth. Meeting every inch of the other girl's passion with an almost overwhelming response, Willow closed her green eyes once more. Running her free hand over the vampire's bared stomach, the human girl lifted her gaze from the red-head's face and focused it on the pair of leather pants that were the sole thing the vampire was still wearing. Curling her fingers in between the vampire's skin and the edge of the article, Tara let go of the vampire's wrists and tugged on the already loose article. As it finally fell free of the red-head's legs, the human rose back up to where her captor's head was still lying and smiling at her. Pressing her lips against the other girl's awaiting pair, Tara's tongue invaded the vampire's willing mouth. Her fingertips dancing up and down the vampire's cold skin, the human broke the kiss and looked down at the pair of green eyes intently looking up at her.

"You're such a naughty little Kitten when you want to be." Virtually purring the words at the girl straddling her, Willow wiggled slightly as an added effect to her earlier statement.

"W-When I want to be…" Sliding down the other girl's body, Tara felt the red-head's hands moving through her hair as she began to virtually worship the bared skin in front of her. As she laid kisses up and down the vampire's stomach, she could hear and feel the way her captor was reacting to her touch. Trailing her tongue around Willow's belly-button, the human girl felt her heart stop as the vampire shuttered underneath her tongue's touch. Looking up over the girl's stomach, Tara found those predatory green eyes staring back at her.

"I didn't tell you to stop, Kitten." Giving her pet a lop-sided grin, the red-head vampire gently pressed down on the other girl's head. Sticking her tongue back out onto the vampire's skin, Tara continued to trail her tongue down further and further until she reached the red-head's thigh. Flicking her tongue over the exposed skin, the human felt another wave of shock flow through her as she heard the vampire moan. Pulling her tongue back into her mouth, she pulled her free hand down to where her head was and held a single finger against the vampire's sex.

Taking a single breath, Tara felt the vampire arched herself into her pet's waiting finger. As the digit disappeared into the vampire's sex, the human felt the hands holding her hair tighten their grip for a moment before releasing her. Actually letting out a breath of un-needed air, Willow turned her head to the side for a moment as her pet ran her tongue over her inner thigh. Her ears filling up with the sound of the vampire's pleasure-filled moans, Tara removed her finger and waited a long anticipation filled moment before replacing the digit with her tongue.

The action causing the vampire to arch her back slightly, the human flicked her tongue from its place inside the other girl's sex. Still running her hand over the red-head's stomach, Tara felt something cold wrap around her hand from where it had been rubbing the vampire's bared stomach. Casting her blue eyes' gaze on the limb, she saw that Willow had curled her fingers around her hand. The difference in temperature causing her to shiver for the umpteenth time, Tara closed her eyes as she moved her tongue around in a circular pattern. As a growing pressure began to build up inside her cold body, the red-headed vampire wrapped her legs around the other girl's head, effectively holding it in place.

Finally reaching climax, the vampire gave out a small pleasure-filled scream as she collapsed onto the mattress beneath her. Pushing herself onto her knees, Tara looked at the seemingly exhausted vampire and gave her a side-ways grin. Staring back at the other girl, Willow returned the smile, her predatory green eyes absorbing every inch of the girl's body.

"Good Kitten." Holding out her hands, the vampire watched as the girl crawled up to her side and laid her head across her stomach. Noticing the shackle still locked around her pet's wrist, the vampire leaned over the side of the bed in order to grab the pants that she had been wearing only minutes before. Reaching into the pocket of the article, she removed a small key and allowed the girl only a moment's view of the piece before she shoved it into the lock of the shackle and turned. The shackle unlocking itself, Tara watched as the vampire took hold of the object and let it fall towards the ground until the chain connecting it to the bed went taunt and it crashed into the metal bars that composed the frame of the bed.

"There, happier?" Her cat-like smile gracing her lips, the red-headed vampire watched as the other girl nodded. Snaking her arm around the human's shoulders, Willow closed her eyes as she started to run her fingers through her pet's slightly dampened blonde hair. Still trying to regain her breath that came out in ragged gulps, Tara nodded. Smiling at the girl's response, the vampire ran her eyes all along the blonde's sweat-covered body. "I like having my Kitten happy."

"Did…Did y-y-you mean it?"

"Mean what? That I like having my little pet being happy?" Realizing that the vampire wasn't following exactly what she was talking about, Tara opened her eyes and lifted her head from its make-shift pillow in order to look into the red-head's eyes.

"D-Do y-y-you love me?"

"Of course, I do. I told you, Mommy loves her little Kitten." Looking at the small alarm clock that she had brought from the house, Willow's eyes were almost immediately back on her pet in a second's time. "And you should be getting to bed, little Kitten. You've had a big day."

"I j-just w-w-woke up…"

"Then you can snuggle. You're not getting to be naughty again tonight." Playfully rolling her eyes, Willow pulled the girl closer to her. "I can always spank you if you want to be bad."

Swallowing hard at the idea of the vampire actually spanking her, the human rested her head back onto the red-head's stomach, and closed her eyes. Still running her fingers through the girl's hair, the red-headed vampire watched as her girl gradually started to nod off. Chuckling silently, she leaned down and gave the girl a kiss on her head before leaning her head back against the metal backboard of the bed.

She loved it when her Kitten was naughty.

* * *

"The boy did _what?"_ His attention fully perked by what his childe had explained to him, the Master rose from his throne and crossed the floor in order to stand in front of the red-headed vampire. He had been listening attentively to what the other vampire had been saying to him, and of the struggle that had occured only twenty-four hours before.

"He tried to hurt my Kitty, Daddy. He was bad, and jealous." Holding out her hand for the elder vampire to see, Willow frowned as she saw the imprint that the cross had made on her palm had yet to fully disappear, although the wound had begun to heal due to the girl that she had fed off of on the way here. Despite the added time it took away from returning to where she had hidden her pet away, she knew that keeping herself fed was important. She couldn't fully protect her if she starved herself. Besides, her tummy would start rumbling if she even thought about doing so. "Look what he made me do to myself in order to protect my Kitten."

"You wielded a cross against him?" Showing a small amount of shock for the slightest of seconds, the Master regained his usual tone of voice as quickly as he had lost it. "A notable effort, dear child."

"He was going to turn my Kitty, and that's something _I'm_ supposed to do._ Not_ Xander. Bad Xander."

"And so you wielded the single most potent thing that would make him stop, short of killing him. Well done." Clapping his hands together for a single moment, the sire looked at his childe and smiled. "Most wouldn't be able to even look at the object, nevermind holding onto such a thing. You controlled your fear. That is something that can be a powerful tool."

"What do you mean?"

"Fear can be a powerful ally, or when you refuse to control it, it can be a terrible foe. All too often I have seen those with power, power so great that they seemingly had greatness destined for them, be destroyed by an illusion that had power over them." Turning back towards his childe, the elder vampire smiled. "By picking up that representation of the thing that is supposed to strike fear into our hearts, you controlled that emotion and used it to your own advantage. You have done something that many throughout the histories have not."

"Thank you, Daddy. I'm glad I made you proud." Smiling, the red-head giggled slightly, the sound of her laughter only adding to the child-like attitude she usually had in the presence of her sire. Looking down at the burned impression of a small cross in her palm, the vampire closed her fingers over the burn, and turned her green irises on the elder vampire. "What should I do about Xander? He was bad and tried to hurt my Kitty."

"This squabbling between the two of you must stop. I won't have the two of you constantly at each other's necks over your pet." Sitting back down onto his throne, the Master kept his gaze trained on the red-head. "Have you taken steps to ensure this conflict's end is close by?"

"I took Kitten somewhere safe. Xander doesn't where she is." Nodding, Willow's thoughts almost instantly began to drift away towards the still sleeping girl that was waiting for her at the crypt. "She's all warm and safe."

"Good. You do still plan to sire her, correct?"

"Yes, Daddy. She has to ask for it though."

"Ah, then you intend to give her some choice in the matter?"

"Yep." Smiling widely, the red-headed nodded. "She wants to be bad for me though. She'll ask me to turn her soon enough. And then I'll have my bad little Kitten all to myself."

"The illusion of having a choice is one that can be as equally powerful as fear." Seeing one of his minions enter the room, the Master raised his gaze to entirely look at the vampire equivalent of 'all muscles, no brain'. "I said we were _not_ to be interrupted."

"I was told that it was important." Stepping aside, the minion kept his eyes forward as Xander entered the room. Seeing her 'brother', the red-headed vampire growled at the new arrival.

_"Xander. Bad."_

"Great, you're still pissed at me." Rolling his eyes, the male vampire turned away from his sister as he heard the Master's voice echo through the room.

"With good reason, from what I understand of the situation. You tried to take something away from her, and she reacted. You have only yourself to blame for that, boy." Folding his hands in his lap, the Master scowled at his grand-childe. "What is so important, _boy?"_

"A few of our scouts handed in reports that there's a Slayer making her way here."

"A Slayer, you say?" His interest perked, the elder vampire leaned back in his throne as her curled one of his hands underneath his chin. "Well, I'm sure she'll enjoy visiting our little town, don't you think, Willow?"

"Maybe she could stake Xander, make him turn to dust. I'd like her then."

"Hey!" Already preparing a retort, the male vampire saw his 'sister' roll her eyes at him.

_"Bored now."_ Turning her back to him, Willow looked at the Master. "Can I go now, Daddy? I told you everything I wanted to."

"You may. Return tomorrow evening, my dear child. I'll have a gift for you." Making a whisking gesture with his hand, the elder vampire watched as his childe headed for the door and eventually left the room in quick order. His red eyes turning towards the boy, he scowled.

"Tell me more about this Slayer."

* * *

As the warm water rolled over every inch of her tired and exhausted body, Tara closed her eyes and let her head rest against the cool glass that covered the 'walls' surrounding her. The water made her muscles feel relaxed, something that made her feel incredibly at ease with the entire way her life had spiraled into the events of the past year, and in particular, the last week. To feel her heart beating inside her chest was enough evidence of that fact.

Hearing the vampire's, while slightly dodgy, declaration of love running through her brain for the countless time, the human felt her heart-beat skip slightly before resuming its normal pace. She couldn't even begin to properly explain why she had said 'I love you' to the red-head, after what the countless emotional spikes that she had been forced to feel over the vampire's actions. While that didn't completely bastardize the vampire's actions that had been take in protective and noble reasons, Tara couldn't simply forget the way the burning matches had felt when they landed on the skin on her bare skin. Looking down at her stomach, she felt relieved to know that there was hardly a single mark that would cause someone to think of burns. There was nothing to tell anyone otherwise. No scars, no burned remnants of charred skin, and no misshapen patterns. Only normal skin.

Did she really mean the statement that she had said to the other girl? The human wasn't entirely sure if any simple answer such as 'yes' or 'no' made an definitive answer. The entire situation was much more complicated and complex that any of those could describe. Were vampires actually _capable_ of love? Did they have the same feelings and emotions that humans did? She knew from personal experience that they did, but did the presence of a Soul affect those emotions? Without them, was the Demon completely void of those sensations, emotions, and thoughts?

"Did you miss me, Kitty?" Her mind being pulled out of her thoughts, Tara looked behind her and found a familiar vampire slipping into the shower behind her. Coming to stand behind her pet, Willow felt and noticed the way the girl virtually melted into her as she laid a single hand on the girl's shoulder. Resting her cheek against the vampire's neck, the blonde human smiled.

"A l-little."

"You miss your Mommy when she goes away, don't you?" Only giving a nod as her response, Tara felt the vampire's arms wrapped around her waist. "It makes you sad to be all alone with no-one to talk to."

Turning her head so that she could look into the vampire's eyes, the human swallowed hard as she saw the way the red-head was staring at her neck.

"You know, your Mommy hasn't eaten anything yet. She was so occupied with letting you be naughty last night…"

"Y-You are?"

"I need to eat too." Her usual pattern of talking in a somewhat third-person way melting away, Willow nodded. "Maybe you could be a good little Kitten and let Mommy drink a little."

"Y-Y-You w-want to turn me." Saying the question as if it were a statement, Tara saw the way the red-head's lips formed a smile.

"Are you ready, little Kitty?" Taking a step towards the girl, Willow continued to let the water run over her body. "All you have to do is ask your Mommy to give you your gift."

"W-W-What if I'm n-not ready?"

"Then your Mommy would be sad that her Kitten wouldn't accept her gift. She just wants to make you big and strong again."

"B-But you said y-y-you loved me…if I'm a v-vampire again, I w-won't have my soul…"

"But you'll still be you, little Kitty cat. You'll just be bad."

"W-Will…Will you still love me? Even if I'm g-gone?"

"Of course. Silly Kitten." Smiling, the vampire reached up and ran a hand through the other girl's wet hair. "Mommy loves you."

"C-Can w-w-we please w-wait?" Swallowing hard once again, Tara saw the smile on the vampire's face diminish slightly, although it still remained present on her face. "I'm n-not r-ready…"

"But that still leaves your Mommy hungry…" Morphing her lips into a pout, the red-head tilted her head slightly. "Can my baby Kitten do something about that?"

Unsure of what to say or do, Tara simply stood immobile and silent, her mind ablaze with the possibilities of what could come from any answer she gave her captor.

"Y-Y-You w-won't try to t-turn me? If I l-let y-y-you bite me?"

"You said no to getting a gift. Mommy wouldn't force it on you." Her smile returning to its giant size as she heard her pet's words, Willow shook her head. "She just wants a small bite to fill up her tummy."

"A-And y-y-you w-won't drain me?"

"No, Kitten. I love you. Why would I do that? Mommy only wants to eat something. She wouldn't kill her little baby Kitten."

"A-A-Alright…" Closing her eyes as she nodded, the human felt the vampire press herself against her body. Giving her pet a small kiss on the lips before she focused her attention on the bared neck in front of her, the red-headed vampire pressed her lips against the dripping wet skin. Her face changing into that of the demon hidden underneath the skin, the girl bit down. As the vampire's fangs bit into her throat, breaking the skin, Tara hissed as she felt a sharp pain shoot through her veins and muscles. Closing her eyes, she rested her hand on the red-head's shoulders in an effort to steady herself so that she wouldn't fall to the floor of the stand-in shower. Taking a step closer to one of the glass walls that surrounded the shower, Willow gently pressed the girl's back against it as she continued to feed. Closing her yellow eyes as she continued to feed on her pet, Willow felt the girl's loose grip on her shoulders. As the warm blood trickled down her throat and into her stomach, the red-headed vampire withdrew her fangs from the girl's throat upon realizing that the human was about to lose consciousness. Moving her tongue over the bites before licking her lips clean of any lingering drops of blood, Willow saw the way her pet was weakly watching her with her sleepy blue eyes.

"Mommy's all full now, Kitten."

"Y-You're …w-w-welcome…" Finally closing her eyes, Tara rested her head against the vampire's bored shoulder. Brining her hand up so that it rested on the girls' head, Willow smiled as her face changed back to her human guise.

"Aww, somebody's all tuckered out." Still able to feel the human's heart pounding through her chest, Willow leaned down and turned off the water to the shower. Her head still resting against her captor's shoulder, Tara felt a small chill beginning to flow up her naked back. "Do you want to go back to sleep?"

Her body too weak to even nod, the human girl mouthed the word 'yes' although no sound accompanied it. Her senses growing more and more murkier, Tara was able to hear the sound of the shower door being opened. As she pulled both herself and the girl out of the stand-in shower, Willow reached to her right and pulled one of the waiting towels off of the rack and wrapped it around the dripping wet girl. Feeling the soft touch of the towel wrap around her body and the sensation of her feet leaving the ground, Tara closed her eyes.

As the minutes passed by, she felt every piece of time slowing down more and more as she fought to stay awake in order to know what would happen to her. Turning her head so that she would be able to see what was going on, Tara saw that the vampire was carrying her towards the bed that lay in the center of what she guessed was a crypt of some sorts, considering that there was not a single beam of sunlight that showed itself in the entire structure. As she continued to struggle with her incoherent thoughts, the human felt something soft surround her back. Looking up at the vampire who had been holding her, Tara saw through her blurred vision that the red-head was smiling as she looked down at her.

"Close your eyes, little Kitten." Resting her hand against the girl's cheek, Willow continued to smile at her pet. "You can sleep. Mommy will be back. She just has to get dressed."

"W-W-Where are y-y-you going?" The sentence escaping from her lips as a mere whisper, the human closed her eyes before struggling to open them once more.

"I need to talk to Daddy. And then your Mommy needs to get you some more food. You get hungry after you're sleepy." Giving the human a wink as she reached down to grab where she had thrown her leather pants to the floor, Willow stepped into the first leg of the article while keeping her gaze focused on her pet. "So, once you wake up, your Mommy will be able to feed you."

"Don't g-g-go…" Shaking her head, the human stopped the gesture as she realized how much effort it was taking to do so.

"Aww, don't be sad, Kitty. I'll be back soon." Her vision continuing to blur as exhaustion began to exert itself over her body, Tara felt something cold press down on her eyelids, forcing them to close. "Just sleep. You get so sleepy after something important happens."

Beginning to mouth the words to a response, the human felt something cold touch her lips, stopping her efforts to speak. Pulling her pants up and buttoning them, Willow leaned down and gave her pet a small kiss on her forehead. Hearing the girl's breathing beginning to level out as she started to fall asleep, the vampire smiled and reached down to grab her shirt and corset before giving the girl one last sentence before she continued to gather herself to leave.

"Just go to sleep. You need rest. Daddy's bringing us something important. It's a surprise, so he wouldn't tell me." Still smiling as she slipped into the leather undershirt she always wore, the red-head leaned over and reattached the shackle to the girl's wrist. "Still, I want you to be safe. And that's what Daddy's giving me. Plus it'll make both of us happy."

Sitting down onto the mattress as she pulled on her boots, Willow allowed herself one last glance at the girl before turning and walking towards the door that led to the outside world.

"So be good, Kitten. I'll be back soon." Stopping just as she reached the door, the vampire blew her pet a kiss and then disappeared out the door into the darkness of the silent night.


	10. Sire Solution

**Chapter 10**

Letting the teenager's body drop to the cold ground underneath her, Willow smiled as her face changed back into its normal appearance. Licking the last remnants of blood from her lips, the vampire looked down at the dead girl with her green eyes full of amusement at the way the body itself was positioned.

"You didn't scream. That's no fun. I like it when you scream and try to run." Her lips morphing into a pout, the red-head nevertheless turned, and continued on her way through the now deserted cemetery. Her gift from the Master continued to lay dormant in her pocket, the shape of it sticking out against the leather article. Her thoughts, now that her demon had been satisfied with its meal, returned to that of the possibilities of having both a good and bad Kitten always waiting for her. It truly was a situation in which she won on either side of the argument.

From every conversation and action she had observed from the girl, the vampire knew that Tara was afraid of losing her soul. It seemed to be the sole thing preventing her from being sired. Inside, Willow mused over the thought that possibly the soul was trying to retain control of the mind that it had been instilled in, in order to keep the demon from exercising any kind of control on the body it shared with the other being.

Still, with the necklace now in her possession, the red-headed vampire knew that her pet could be satisfied with being both of those things. Whenever she wanted, Willow could simply unlock any portion of the other vampire that she wanted. That kind of power was intoxicating, and yet, she felt somewhat obligated that ask the other girl whether or not she wanted to be sired with the necklace. The thoughts of having a childe so filled with anger towards her weren't something she wanted to see in her Kitten. When the time came to see the demon inside the soul, she wanted it to come willingly, and not something that she had to force.

When the time came, she'd have both of her Kittens, and they'd both ask for it equally.

* * *

He could smell her. The scene of the human girl on his sire's body was almost completely overwhelming to his nostrils. As Xander watched the female vampire quickly making her way through the otherwise unoccupied graveyard, he smiled, knowing that he was beginning to come close to finding out where his 'sister's' pet was hidden. Only then could he finish the job he had started before at the house, before the obsession the other vampire felt for the human had forced her to react. He had been so close to being able to taste the girl's blood, and that urge to take something away from the other vampire was one of the things still urging him on.

His eyes watched her as she finally stopped at an entirely undistinguishable crypt, opened the door, and disappeared into the darkness within. Smiling, Xander turned and disappeared back into the shadows, knowing that playing the waiting game would be something that he would have to do, at least until his sire left the crypt and left the girl inside undefended.

Taking a seat on a weathered tombstone, the vampire focused on the stone structure, and waited.

* * *

"I'm back, Kitty. Here, kitty, kitty, kitty." Shutting the door to the crypt behind her, Willow smiled as she saw her pet asleep in the same place she had set the girl down onto. Crossing the floor until she stood at the bed's side, the vampire smiled as she saw the blonde girl's eyes slowly opening. "Wakey wakey, little kitty."

"Y-You're back." Saying the sentence somewhat slowly due to combination of having a portion of her blood sucked out of her body and her groggy mind, Tara managed to smile as she finished the sentence.

"Yep, Mommy came back, just like she promised." Reaching into the pocket of her leather pants, Willow's fingers brushed against the necklace that her sire had given her, causing her to smile even wider. "And I brought you a present, since you were such a good little Kitty cat."

"W-W-What?" Slowly pushing herself onto her arms, the human looked at the vampire questioningly.

"Daddy got us something that will make you bad. And you'll still be good." Her captor's smile making her blood run cold, Tara stared into the vampire's green irises, and tried to find any indication of what was causing the red-head such an enormous amount of happiness running through her.

"W-What do y-you mean?"

"Look at the pretty thing Daddy got us." Pulling the necklace out of her pocket and holding it just out of reach of the other girl, the red-headed vampire's smile grew even larger until her lips could no longer contain the happiness and anticipation she was feeling.

"W-W-What does it d-do?"

"You see, Mommy knew how you didn't want to lose that icky little soul inside you, and you wouldn't let Mommy make you big and strong again unless you could keep it, so Daddy found something for her to make sure you could do that." The piece rotating on its cord, the necklace shined somewhat in the dim lighting that shown across the room from the small lamp next to the bed. "And this is what he got us."

"That d-doesn't a-answer my question…"

"If you're wearing this when Mommy bites you, you'll keep your soul." Seeing the shock running through her pet's expression, Willow wagged her finger slightly at the girl. "But it does something even better than that."

Her thoughts overwhelmed at the thought of becoming a vampire, but still retaining her soul, Tara swallowed hard.

"W-What else d-d-does it do?"

"It'll give Mommy the chance to make you bad _any time_ she wants. _Just. Like. That."_ Dropping the necklace into the girl's lap, Willow watched as her pet took the piece into her fingers and began to examine the necklace in the dim lighting that she had. "And when she's done, she'll make you good again. And so on, and so on, until the end of time."

"T-T-That means y-y-you could make me l-l-lose my soul at a-anytime y-you want?"

"Mhm. That's what it means, little Kitty." Reaching out in order to play with the girl's blonde hair, Willow sat down onto the mattress beside where her pet was laying. "Doesn't that sound great, Kitten? I'll have both of you and we'll be able to play whenever we want."

"H-H-How w-will I get m-my soul back?"

"Daddy explained it all to me, along with the vengeance demon who made your heart all beaty again." Her green eyes still focusing on the girl's hair the red-headed vampire nevertheless didn't make any move to show that she would bite her pet. Until she said yes, the girl kept the demon inside of her restrained. To have anger in someone who was sired was not something that was to be ever desired by a vampire, or at least a smart one at that. Having any kind of pent up anger within a demon controlled body was something that only someone or something with a desire to be killed would seek out and make. "If I want you to be a bad, naughty Kitten, I'll let the necklace take your little soul, store it in there where it's all shiny, and then I'll have my bad Kitty. When I'm done, I'll let your soul come back out, and you can be all good again."

"A-A-And it w-w-won't h-hurt me?"

"Not one bit, pretty little thing." Her fingers brushing against the bottoms of the girl's hair, Willow chuckled. "Why would your Mommy want to hurt you? You're her little Kitten. Do you want to be big and strong again?"

For what seemed like hours to her mind, Tara remained utterly silent. Finally lifting her head so that her gaze rested directly on her captor's face, she gave a slow nod. Her expression bursting into unrestrained happiness, the red-headed vampire leaned forward and pulled the girl to her as her arms wrapped around her pet's waist in a hug.

"Yay!" Planting a kiss on the blonde girl's forehead, Willow's smile seemed as if it would explode off of her face. "My Kitten finally said yes!"

"W-W-Will y-you do it f-fast?"

"Oh course. Whatever my little Kitten wants." Easing the girl onto her back, Willow continued to smile widely. Gently brushing her pet's hair aside from her neck, the red-head vampire slowly leaned in and pressed her lips against the bared skin. Closing her eyes as he waited for the small amount of pain that accompanied being bit by a vampire, Tara's heart raced frantically inside her chest. Her face changing into her vamperic form, the vampire's fangs brushed against the warm skin underneath her lip's touch, the sound of the girl's heart beating overwhelming her ears.

"Wait…WAIT!" Saying the word twice as she realized that it had gone unheard the first time, the blonde human breathed a sigh of relief as she saw and felt the vampire's fangs and lips remove themselves from her skin.

"What's the matter, Kitten?" Looking at the human as her face sifted back into its human form, Willow frowned. "You told Mommy you wanted to be strong again."

"I…I…I'm n-n-not s-sure…"

"But you said yes." Still frowning, the red-headed vampire made no move to return to her feet. Her back still pressed into the mattress below her, Tara closed her eyes for a moment.

"C-Can w-w-we please just w-wait a little longer?"

"You don't want Mommy to change you?" Her green eyes piercing the other girl's face, the red-headed vampire's frown only continued to deepen with each passing second. "Even after Daddy got you your gift?"

"I'm…I'm j-j-just n-not ready…" Her irises watching her captor's actions and expression, Tara swallowed hard as she realized her heart was beginning to beat faster and faster within her chest with each passing moment that the red-headed vampire didn't do anything. Sitting completely still on the bed to which frame she remained shackled was not the greatest position to be in.

"Not ready. Kitty's…not ready." Para-phrasing what her pet had said to her, Willow nodded slowly, her expression beginning to lose any emotion whatsoever. Watching the result her words were having on her captor, the blonde human tried to push herself into the backboard of the bed, but felt the vampire's grip still remaining tight on her arm, although the action didn't send any pain shooting through her system. It remained loose enough to prevent her from leaving.

"Y-You're angry…" Her blue irises beginning to fill up with fear, Tara tried to remain perfectly still, as if doing so would allow her to avoid notice.

"No, I'm not, Kitten. Disappointed maybe, but Mommy isn't mad at her Kitten. She's still so young and fuzzy that she can't decide whether she wants her gift or not."

Rising from her seat on the mattress, Willow pocketed the necklace and headed for the door.

"I forgot to bring you your dinner, Kitten. I'll be back." Her feet quickly crossing the floor and opening the door, the red-headed vampire gave one last slightly sad look at her pet before disappearing out the door. Watching her captor leave, Tara's gaze fell to the ground. It had been genuine disappointment she had seen in the girl's eyes, something that she wasn't akin to seeing from the vampire. The offer with the necklace was the most tempting she had heard yet, and the more she thought about somehow being able to keep her soul intact while giving the red-head the power to control her even further, the more it seemed like a better option than simply waiting for the vampire to sire her and remove any sort of choice that she had in the matter.

Minutes passed before she rose to her feet in an effort to prevent her legs from going numb. As the sound of the door being opened greeted her ears, the human turned to the door, and felt her heart drop as the person she least expected stood in the doorway smiling at her.

"Well, well. Guess Wills didn't keep you protected enough. More fun for me."

* * *

The screams were the first thing that pierced her hearing as she continued to walk through the graveyard with the necklace still held within her pocket. Her mind instantly recognizing the voice and its owner, Willow's heart most likely would have skipped a few beats had the organ been alive and functioning properly. As she heard more of the same sounds filling the empty and cold air of the cemetery, the vampire took off back towards the crypt where she had left her pet, the single place where she was supposed to be safe from the events and people that surrounded her. Her feet moving across the grass and dirt with an un-natural amount of speed, the red-head's eyes searched the area that surrounded her in order to see if there was any sign of someone fleeing. If they so much as even tried to escape from her, the demon inside her swore to tear them to shreds until nothing was left.

Having crossed the graveyard within only seconds, she was already at the entrance to the crypt, the screams that she had heard earlier having died out. Her mind not liking the eerie silence that she was hearing, the vampire took a step back and poured every single inch of her strength into her raised foot. As she kicked the door to the crypt off of its hinges, Willow's green eyes frantically scanned the room for her pet, her nostrils still filled to their absolute brim with the scent of her 'brother'. Xander had been here, she had no doubt of that fact, considering that she had made the boy into what he was now. The phrase 'I brought you into this world, I can take you out' came to mind before something she didn't understand forced her attention back to finding her Kitten.

"W-W-W…" Hearing the unique stutter that she had heard so many times before, the vampire rushed towards the sound's origins, her senses picking apart each and every inch of the all but destroyed crypt around her. The farther she went into the once organized and neat room, the more and more the sight of a dark red liquid that stained every surface it came into contact with began to appear. Her nostrils already able to tell what the liquid was, the vampire's heart would have dropped into her chest, had it been beating at all. Finally reaching the area behind the over-turned bed, Willow stopped suddenly as she saw the still body of her pet, lying on the floor with two unmistakable bite marks on her neck.

"W-W-Willow?" Looking up from behind her exhausted blue eyes, Tara saw and felt the vampire kneel down beside her and gather her fragile body into her cold arms. Every muscle in her body was either engulfed in pain or completely numb from the loss of blood that she had suffered through.

"Xander hurt my Kitty…" Her green irises looking down at her pet as shock filled her voice. Her cold hands holding the human's bloody body close to her own chest, Willow leaned down and gave the girl a kiss on her forehead. "You're not ok, are you, Kitten?"

"E-Everything h-h-hurts…" Doing her best to shake her head despite the massive amount of pain that was intermixing with a rapidly growing numbness, Tara closed her eyes for a moment before forcing them to open once more. "H-He f-found m-me, and I c-c-couldn't move…"

"The shackle…" Lifting her eyes gaze from her blood-covered pet for a single moment to look at the over-turned bed that lay in the center of the room, Willow sought out and finally found the chain from the shackle that still lay around the girl's wrist. "Mommy helped him…"

"Y-Y-You didn't k-know…"

"Bad Xander must have followed your Mommy here. She's sorry, this is her fault. Her Kitten's all bloody because of this, and not in the good way that would make her stomach nice and warm." Unable to stop herself from babbling, Willow looked down at the human girl and frowned. "Mommy doesn't want her Kitty to die."

"I'm s-s-so c-cold…"

"Let Mommy change you, Kitty. She'll make you nice and warm again."

"Do y-y-you still h-h-have the necklace?" Her one hand stumbling along the vampire's body in an attempt to find the object, Tara felt a cold hand wrap around her wrist, forcing her to stop.

"Don't move, Kitty. It makes the blood go away faster." Noticing that her palms were covered in the warm red liquid that was no doubt her pet's blood, Willow pressed a single finger against the girl's lips. "Don't talk. Your Mommy's going to make it all better, I promise."

Reaching into her pocket as quickly as she could manage while still holding onto the other girl's body, the red-headed vampire couldn't manage to smile as her digits touched the ancient piece. Pulling the necklace out of her pocket, she held it in her palm as she wrapped her fingers around it, virtually entombing it in her hand.

"Do you want to be big and strong again, Kitty? Tell Mommy what you want, and she'll give it to you." Able to feel her pet's lips moving underneath her finger, Willow shook her head furiously. "No, just nod. No talking, talking is bad for hurt Kitty cats."

Giving a simple and slow nod, Tara closed her eyes as she let her head fall against the vampire's shoulder. Inside her chest, she could feel her heart beginning to slow, just as it had been doing for the past five minutes since her attacker had left her on the floor, bleeding and covered in her own blood. Feeling the vampire's cold lips press against her forehead, Tara pushed out a breath, still trying to keep her heart beating inside her chest so that she could see what was going to happen. Laying the girl down onto the floor below her, Willow lifted her pet's head so that she could place the necklace's chain around the girl's neck. As she saw the piece fall into place on the human's bloody skin, the vampire gently guided her head back to the floor, noticing that the piece glowed for a split second as part of Tara's blood became soaked into the material. Her blue eyes looking up at the red-head, Tara breathed out again, the action beginning to require more and more effort than it had before.

Lifting the girl's blood-stained hair away from her neck, Willow's face changed from its human guise into its true form, her yellow eyes staring down at the girl on the floor in front of her. Taking in the full scent of the girl's blood, the vampire leaned her face down until her lips were touching and moving across the human's neck. Her fangs just barely touching the delicate skin beneath their touch, Willow waited for a single second before biting down, the action causing the blonde girl's blood to flow into her mouth with relative ease. The amount of it was significantly diminished, and more than ever, she was promising herself that Xander was going to suffer for each individual drop of her pet's blood that he had dared to drink.

Lifting her head after only a moment's worth of drinking, Willow looked at the girl's face in order to make sure that she hadn't drained all the blood left in her body. Blinking once but slowly, Tara continued to fight to stay awake. Her entire body felt warm, and the idea of sleep seemed to be a welcome one. Still, in the back of her mind, something refused to let her sleep, knowing that in doing so, the world would never again come back to her line of vision. Biting down somewhat hurriedly on her palm, Willow placed her hand underneath the girl's head in order to bring it up so she could drink the offered blood.

"Drink up, Kitty. We're almost there, I promise." Placing her bleeding palm against the human's lips, Willow couldn't help but grin slightly as she felt the girl swallow, her throat undoubtedly filled with her blood. Her eye-lids closing over her bright blue eyes, Tara took in a deep breath as Willow finally pulled her palm away after numerous minutes of having her blood pour down into her throat. Using her free hands to push the other girl's blonde locks out of her hair, the red-head vampire leaned down and pressed her blood-stained lips against her pet's forehead.

"W-W-Wil…Willow?" Her hand weakly searching the area around her for the vampire, Tara managed to smile slightly as she felt something cold come into contact with her hand and hold onto it tightly.

"Go to sleep, Kitty. You're just going to sleep. When you wake up, you'll be all big and strong again, and we'll have fun, I promise." The fingers on her free hand moving gently along the dying girl's cheek, Willow's face slipped back into its human guise. "Your Mommy will keep you safe. You're going to pretty and young forever."

"L-L-Lov…"

"Love, Kitty, love, love, love, love." Nodding as she continued to talk in a semi-babble form, the vampire laid down beside her girl, and held her close as her heart-beat continued to slow until it finally, for the second time in Tara Maclay's life, stopped dead in her chest.

* * *

As she opened her eyes, the first thing that confronted Tara's eyes was the way there was not a single stray beam of light inside the room. Murmuring slightly, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach, the feeling of it growing sharper and sharper with each passing second. The pain of the hunger causing her to whimper, the girl heard and felt something stir above her.

"My Kitten's finally awake." Looking down at the blonde girl with her green eyes, Willow smiled. "How are you feeling, Kitten?"

"Better." Trying to rise, Tara's still numb mind finally realized that the red-headed vampire was lying on top of her chest, the girl's eyes only inches away from her face. "W-What happened?"

"I made you big and strong again, remember?" Picking up the necklace from its place around the other vampire's neck, Willow's smile grew even larger than it had been before. "See, you still have that yucky soul inside you, just in case you want to be good for your Mommy."

Pawing at the necklace in her captor's hand, Tara tried fruitlessly to grab the object. Staring down at her pet, Willow tilted her head so that her red-hair was just barely brushing the other vampire's completely bared skin.

"H-How l-long have I been out?"

"A day or so. I made it nice and dark in here so that my little fuzzy Kitten could sleep." Gesturing with her free hand at the area around herself and the other girl, Willow pushed herself slightly off of the other vampire so that the girl could move around slightly. "And you slept so much. You're always so sleepy, little Kitty. I wonder why."

"D-Did y-y-you find X-Xander?"

"No, but I thought maybe the bad you would like someone to play with." Gently dropping the necklace back onto the girl's bared chest, the red-headed vampire smiled. "Ok, Kitty? I want the bad you, and I want her now."

"Can't w-w-we wait?"

"Uh-uh, Kitty. Mommy wants something, and she doesn't want to wait." Her finger tracing a small pattern over her pet's breast, Willow's gaze never once left the pair of blue eyes staring attentively at her. "She hates waiting."

"P-Please?" Shaking her head, Tara closed her eyes. "I j-j-just came back…"

"Did you think you were in Heaven, little Kitty? All good Kittys go to heaven after all." Her tone starting to become slightly sing-songy in a way, the red-headed vampire leaned down further so that her chin was resting directly on the girl's chest. "Is that why you sleep so much? You dream about it?"

"N-N-No…it w-was dark, and I c-couldn't do anything…"

"Aww, the poor Kitty couldn't find her Mommy anywhere?" Her lips changing into a pout, the vampire leaned forward and gave the girl a small kiss on her lips. "I'm sorry, Kitten. I kept you safe the entire time. You shouldn't have nightmares."

"How do I k-know that I'll c-c-come back?" Having opened her eyes after having felt the other vampire's lips on her own, Tara felt as if her entire body were on edge. The idea of momentarily losing control of her soul once more, and allowing the Demon to control her once more was a freighting thought. Would the necklace really retain her soul, and then allow it to come back, like Willow said? Vampires were capable of lying, just as everything was. And yet, as she stared into the other vampire's green eyes, Tara found herself saying the word 'ok' with her voice's volume barely even a whisper.

"Good Kitty. You might get a reward later for being so good for Mommy." Giving the girl one more kiss on the lips, Willow rose back to her full height as she leaned back on her ankles. Resting her palm against the necklace, she took hold of the other girl's hand with her free limb, the red-head closed her eyes and began to focus, just as her sire had instructed her to do when removing her pet's soul. Focusing on the singe thought of storing the girl's soul in the piece itself, the vampire felt the necklace actually beginning to contain heat, the sensation of the difference in temperature between her palm and the piece making her skin prickle somewhat. Watching her sire's every move, Tara felt the same amount of heat that the other vampire was feeling against her palm, the heat penetrating her cold skin in order to strike a single place inside her body. As the feeling of warmth snaked through every inch of her skin, the blonde vampire closed her blue eyes as she reveled in the sensations being generated by feeling something besides the cold that she had already readjusted to. Her eyes still closed, the Soul inside Tara began to slip out of its usual place, the warmth that surrounded it preventing it from properly even responding to what was happening. As it channeled through the girl's mind and out into the necklace, the Soul rested inside the jeweled piece of the necklace, the warmth that had coaxed it out of its place still surrounding it.

As she opened her eyes, the vampire stared up at her captor, her lips curling into a cruel smile. Lifting her palm's touch from the necklace, Willow's own mouth formed a smile as she saw the change that had come over her pet's eyes and aura.

"There's the bad little Kitten." Still running a finger along her pet's cheek, the red-head sank herself lower onto the other girl's body. "Your Mommy's waited so long to see you."

"Oh, sorry about that. Having a soul makes you wait while the thing complains about what you're doing." Her speech no longer hindered by the seemingly always present stutter, Tara's smile refused to falter. Her nimble fingers on her free hand moved, the digits eventually coming to rest on the red-head's lips. "Didn't realize someone wanted to see me so bad."

"Mmm, Mommy's wanted to see you for a long time." Purring in response to her pet's response, Willow smiled as she slipped her head away from the other vampire's touch, and started to run her tongue down along the girl's neck. "And now I've got a bad little Kitten all to myself."

"Do you now?" Her blue eyes following the head of red-hair moving along her body, Tara's smile continued to grace her lips. "Couldn't tell. The shackle kinda takes away from the whole effect."

"The other you wanted it off too." Tilting her head slightly, Willow looked down at the other vampire as she fell back onto her ankles. "You're getting the same answer though, bad Kitten. Mommy wants it to stay on."

"I think we saw what happened as a result of having it on me. Remember what your evil little spawn did to me? Tried to kill me, tried to drain me dry so that you couldn't even have a taste of me?" Tilting her own head, Tara chuckled slightly. "I'm sure you do. So why don't you take it off?"

"You're trying to manipulate me, aren't you? Naughty Kitten." Smiling at the other vampire's words, the red-head laughed as she saw the complete change in the blonde's expression. "Nice try. Mommy doesn't get tricked so well."

"That's just half the fun then I guess. I've been out of the game for a while."

"Lots and lots of time to make up for then." Pressing her mouth against the other girl's neck, Willow let her tongue make it's path across the bared skin below her touch. Able to feel the bite marks that remained from the night she had been forced to sire the girl, the red-head closed her green eyes and took in the sensations of touching the other vampire. Her tongue still gliding down the other vampire's neck, Willow smiled as she heard the other vampire growl slightly.

"What's the matter, Kitty? Don't like all the foreplay?" Lifting her head away from the bared skin she had been worshipping, the red-headed vampire watched as her pet squirmed underneath her. "The good you loves it. She loves anything Mommy does."

"What can I say?" Continuing to squirm as she felt the other vampire's leather attire brushing against her bare skin, Tara chuckled slightly. "I'm a main course kind of girl."

"Too bad, bad little Kitten. Mommy likes making you wait." Her smile spreading ear-to-ear, the girl resumed her tongue's worship of the other girl's skin. Trailing her tongue down until it reached the very edge of the girl's stomach, Willow felt the vampire actually shudder underneath her touch, the action somewhat betraying the image she had of the 'bad' Tara that she had waited so long to see, touch, and talk to. Shaking her head somewhat, the blonde girl shook her arm in an attempt to break the shackle that still remained locked around her wrist. Hearing the sound of the connected chain rattling against the metal frame of the bed, the vampire's captor raised her head and stared into the girl's eyes.

"It's not coming off, Kitten."

"Damn it, why not?!" Her eyes flashing with anger, Tara stared back at the other girl unflinchingly.

"Because you don't like it. It's bad to be naughty, so Mommy has to punish her little Kitty cat."

_"TAKE IT OFF!"_ Shouting out the words, the vampire shook her hand angrily, only to have the connecting chain rattle even louder.

"Uh-uh. Bad Kitty." Frowning, the red-head moved away from the other vampire and returned to her feet, stepping off of the bed in the process. "You're being the wrong kind of bad."

"Damn it, just take it off!" Shaking slightly from the sudden and abrupt lack of touch from her captor, the vampire turned her head in order to avoid letting the red-head see her face as she whimpered. "Come back."

"Nope, you yelled at Mommy. Soul's coming back to visit." At the mention of brining the soul back into command of her body, Tara began to buckle on the bed in an attempt to get free.

"I'm not letting that thing take me over again, just take the shackle off!"

"You want it off so badly, don't you?" Lowering her voice's tone, Willow smiled as she chuckled, the sound of her laughter unusually soft. "You don't like having your Mommy not touching you."

Tilting her head as she made a tisking sound, Willow ran a finger along her exposed neck. "All you want is for her to touch you and be naughty to you, but she won't do that."

"Tease." Saying the word with a slight amount of anger backing it, Tara closed her eyes.

"Maybe if you would ask like a nice Kitty, your Mommy would be naughty to you again." A sly smile coming to her face, the red-headed vampire came to stand behind the bed's frame, her green eyes looking down at the pair of blue ones staring up at her attentively. "She might just want to hear you beg for her attention, like a little baby. She's a very busy girl after all…"

"_Please?" _Her tone dropping out noticeably as it became laced with a certain desperation, Tara tried to reach up and touch the other vampire with her hand but found her captor slipping out of her reach.

"Please _what?_ What do you want your Mommy to do to you? Do you want her to kiss you? To lick you? To make you scream at the top of your lungs as she makes you finish?" Making a tisking sound, Willow chuckled. "You have to be specific, Kitten. Otherwise, Mommy might get bored and leave, and you'd have no-one to play with."

"Please…Mommy…" Saying the words with noticeable difficulty and agonizing, Tara closed her eyes and pushed out a breath of air that she didn't need. "Make me scream…"

"See, now you're being specific. But that's_ still_ not enough…" Her playful tone continuing to be ever present in her voice, the red-headed vampire continued to stare down at her pet as her green irises danced in her eyes. "Gotta tell her exactly what you want. Otherwise you might not get anything."

"Please make me scream while I finish around your hand."

"See? Better. You're a very specific little Kitten." Slowly making her way around the side of the bed until she once again stepped onto the mattress, Willow's smile never once faded from her face. Positioning herself so that she was again straddling her pet, the red-headed vampire leaned in so that she was only inches away from the other girl's face. "Mommy likes it when you're specific."

"Why is that?" Tilting her head so that her captor could have access to her neck if the desire arose in the other vampire, Tara gazed into the pair of green eyes watching her.

"Because then she_ won't_ give you what you want, and does everything else instead." Her smile disappearing from sight as she buried her head into the girl's neck, Willow heard the demon inside her laughing as her pet voiced her frustration at what she had just heard.


	11. Nothing Personal

**Chapter 11**

"YOU GODDAMN TEASE!" Shouting out the insult, the blonde vampire squirmed as her body physically shook from the amount of anger and arousal flowing through her. Nipping at the bared skin below her lips, Willow felt the girl's legs wrap around her despite the angry statement she had just made. Sticking out her tongue, the vampire ran it along the still healing bite marks on her pet's neck, barely managing to resist the urge to smile as she felt the girl shudder underneath her tongue's touch. Still squirming as she pressed herself against the vampire's leather attire, Tara closed her eyes and allowed the feelings of the vampire's touch wash over her.

Letting her tongue make its way further and further down the girl's chest, Willow looked up at the other vampire's face before maneuvering her mouth so that she could take the girl's nipple into her mouth. Flicking her tongue over it as her hearing continued to be filled with the sound of the other girl's moaning, the red-head smiled as she gently bit down on the erect nipple in her tongue's embrace, causing a small shutter to circulate through her childe's skin.

Releasing the vampire's nipple from her mouth's touch, the red-head smiled.

"Be nice and ask your Mommy for what you want." Leaning back onto her ankles, Willow looked down at the vampire she was straddling and watched her squirm slightly. "She knows all those little spots you'd probably like."

"Tease."

"No, bad Kitten. You're gonna make Mommy send you away." Reaching out and touching the necklace adorning her childe's neck, the red-head continued to smile venomously at the other vampire. "Play nice, no name calling."

Growling at her sire, Tara closed her eyes and pushed a breath of un-needed air before making her blue irises re-emerge in the dim lighting of the crypt.

"I w-w-want you to m-make me scream."

"Bringing out the cute little stutter, I like that. You may get a reward, little Kitten." Sinking down, the red-headed vampire resumed her tongue's worship of the other vampire's bared skin. As she felt her sire's tongue gliding along the area between her breasts, Tara groaned and closed her eyes. Barely managing to repress the urge to smile at her childe's reaction, Willow hand snaked its way down the blonde's arm and shoulders until her fingers reached an erect nipple awaiting her touch. As her sire's thumb toyed with her nipple, the golden-haired girl arched her back into the vampire straddling her, her bared skin nearly on fire with the sensations of the red-head's touch. The heat between her legs continuing to build to an almost unbearable height, Tara dragged her nails down her sire's back, the feeling of the leather attire the girl wore meeting her finger-nails.

"Feels like some naughty Kitten wants her Momma to get undressed." Rising to her knees, Willow looked down at her childe with her green eyes nearly dancing with a mixture of arousal and amusement. As she ran her finger along her leather-encased ribs, the vampire saw how the other girl watched each and every one of her movements with an unrivaled attentiveness. Slipping her fingers underneath her leather shirt, Willow made each and every movement as slow as she could possibly manage, seeking only to further her childe's squirming.

"Taking your dear sweet time there, Mommy?" Summoning a grin to her lips, Tara continued to look up at her sire as the red-head pulled the shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor. "You're making your little Kitten sad. She wants lots of attention..."

"Am I now?" Perking up her eyebrow in a playful manner, the vampire slowly lowered herself back down until her chin was resting on her childe's cold and bare stomach. "Can't have sad Kittens around. We gotta cheer her up somehow."

As her thumb resumed its caress of the blonde vampire's nipple, Willow heard a pleasure-filled growl escape from the girl's lips. Lifting her head slightly, the vampire pressed her tongue against the bared skin before her. Tracing a circular pattern around her childe's belly-button, the red-head could almost smell the other girl's arousal as she continued to inch lower and lower down towards her now dripping wet sex. Closing her eyes as she allowed the sensations of her sire's touch burn through her cold veins and set her skin ablaze, Tara almost felt the need to breathe as she felt the red-head's tongue making its way down her lower stomach, reaching her waist before her sire's head was just beginning to rest between her legs.

"Is the Kitten feeling better now?" Raising her head, Willow's thumb continued to gently tease the hardened nipple underneath its touch, its touch gradually becoming little more than kneading. Letting a whimper slip past her controlled lips, the golden-haired vampire lifted her head from the pillow that had gently held it in its thrall, and looked down at the head of red-hair situated between her legs.

"M-Much b-b-better..." The stutter coming naturally to her voice, Tara felt a small wave of shock flowing through her mind, resting side by side with the overwhelming amount of pleasure cycling through each and every one of her senses.

"Alrighty then, is the little Kitty ready for her Mommy to make her scream?" Her dancing green irises scanning every inch of the bare skin in front of her, Willow gently blew on the blonde curls in front of her. The action earning her a small shiver from her childe, the vampire smiled with an almost comedic look upon her expression. "Or should she be made to wait a while longer...?"

"Stop teasing me!" Attempting to thrust herself into the other vampire's face, Tara groaned as she felt Willow playfully slap her inner thigh with a decent amount of force behind it. Collapsing back onto the bed beneath her, the golden-haired girl whimpered once more from the now complete lack of contact from her sire. Waiting for what seemed to be hours upon hours, Willow finally resumed her worshipping of the other vampire's skin. Scratching her fingernail down the span of the girl's leg with enough force that it made her childe hiss from the sensation, the red-head managed to hold the vampire down with her free hand. Moving her cool palm against the other vampire's stomach, she once again felt Tara arching into her touch.

"Stop...stop...stop..." Her eyes shut tight as she squirmed underneath the vampire's touches, Tara pressed her open palms against her now unattended breasts. Looking up in time to see her childe kneading herself, Willow chuckled slightly, her nails continuing along their path until they were only inches away from the pair of glistening lips that her childe had attempted to force onto her only moments before.

"I can see you breathing, Kitty." Lifting her head slightly as she moved her nails' touch away from the thigh they had been scratching, the red-headed vampire rested both of her hands and her chin on her childe's waist, the vampire able to sense the anticipation that was virtually pouring off of Tara in massive waves. "Somebody must be excited."

"Need...you..."

_"Need?_ Somebody _needs _me, huh?" Making a small tisking sound, the vampire smiled as she felt the girl squirm underneath her. "Need is a strong little wor-"

_"I NEED YOU NOW!"_ Lifting her head as she opened her eyes, Tara reached out with her hands in an attempt to grab hold of the other vampire's red tresses. Moving away from the girl's touch as swiftly and quick as the wind, Willow's smile only added to the way Tara's body was beginning to shudder.

"Somebody's a needy pet right now, isn't she?" Propping her head up onto her elbow, the red-headed vampire finally allowed a louder chuckle to escape her throat as she watched her childe's hungry eyes observing all of her movements, from the largest of shifts to the smallest of twitches. "Isn't she?"

"Please? Is that what you want to hear?" Her voice still showing no signs of calming down, Tara pleaded both with eyes and with her voice, all of motions showing the burning and powerful need to feel her sire's touch on her bared and sensitive skin.

"Possibly. Is my little Kitten getting all...sensitive?" As she finished the last word of her sentence, the red-headed vampire slowly scratched her nail along the other exposed thigh in front of her, earning herself another groan as a response. "It might be time for the screaming to start soon."

Remaining entirely silent as she looked up at her sire, her palms still covering her breasts, Tara nearly swallowed in anticipation of feeling the other vampire inside her. Remaining entirely still with an immersive internal struggle, the vampire nodded and almost immediatly felt her skin reignite as she felt a pair of fingers pushing apart her wet lips. Biting down hard on her bottom lip to prevent a groan from emerging from her throat, the golden-haired girl closed her eyes as she arched her back slightly, intent on positioning herself perfectly for her sire's touch.

"Ready Kitten?" Twisting her neck until she was looking directly at the other vampire's face, Willow swallowed a chuckle as she saw only a quick little nod as a response from her childe. Slowly and torturously, the red-head pressed a sole finger against the vampire's clit, causing a wave of trembling through Tara that one could see with the naked eye. Entirely unable to stop herself, the childe thrust herself onto the finger, the amount of pleasure the action sent coursing through her overwhelming. Her finger slowly developing a rhythm that worked in conjunction with the younger vampire's thrusts, Willow smiled, the groans and moans filling the air around the two of them filling her ears.

The two of them moving over and over again in a single movement, the two vampires each took a certain amount of pleasure in seeing and feeling what the other was doing. As she watched her childe continuously impale herself on her finger, Willow's lips morphed into a smirk.

"Seems like my Kitten is enjoying herself, isn't she?

_"Y-Y-Yessssss..."_ Her speech having already begun to dissolve into nothing more than fragmented words and a mixed combination of moans and groans filled with pleasure, Tara rapidly clenched and unclenched her fist from where her fingers were now holding onto the somewhat damp sheets beneath her naked body. Her digits slippery from the golden-haired vampire's essence, Willow sneakily slipped in a second finger, the reaction from her childe almost nearly instantaneous. Her mind starting to become wrapped within the 'blanket' of the enormous amount of pleasure she was feeling in every inch of her body, Tara whimpered slightly. Forcing herself not to scream, the vampire continued thrusting herself onto the soaked fingers of her sire.

"You're so wet, Kitty..." Still smirking at her moaning childe, the red-headed vampire continued her finger's rhythm, keeping it in perfect sync with the other vampire's more and more frantic thrusts. "I can't even imagine how close you are right now to cuming all over your Mommy's fingers."

_"D-Don't...s-stopppp...pleaseeeee..."_ Shaking her head slightly as she continued to drink in the mountains of pleasure filling her undead veins, the vampire once again began kneading at her breasts, her body screaming out for all the more sensations she could rip from her own body._ "G-G-Goddesss..."_

"Is that Kitty's new name for her Mommy now?" Her smirk evolving into a full ear-to-ear grin, the red-headed sire gently moved her thumb over her girl's parted lips in conjunction with her fingers. Continuing to bask in the sound of hearing the childe's groans and moans shatter any form of quiet within the still partially disheveled crypt, Willow leaned her head down and took a small lick of the juices flowing out of her girl. Arching herself into the added wetness sliding over her parted lips, Tara finally screamed in pleasure, unable to hold the sound inside her any longer.

The pressure inside her lower regions continuing to build with each passing second she felt her sire's fingers thrusting in and out of her, the golden-haired girl could barely even begin to fully put words together to describe the amount of pleasure she was taking in from the mix of everything happening to her. As she felt Willow slide another wet finger inside her, she screamed again, the sound of it loud enough to effectively wake the dead that lay entombed around the crypt. Licking her tongue up and down the exposed thigh laying draped over her shoulder, the red-head reveled in each and every shutter and tremble that she ripped from her childe's body.

"_F-Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!"_ Repeating the word over and over again as if it were a chant, the golden-haired vampire arched her back as far as could possibly do as she felt her walls clench around the fingers inside her. Feeling the familiar sensation of her childe completely soaking the three fingers she held inside her, Willow smiled, knowing that the other vampire had reached a pleasure filled release that was unlike anything she had ever felt in her life. Breathing hard with large gulps of un-needed breaths, Tara reached out with her arms and desperately sought out the vampire that had ripped her release from her body. Her fingertips barely brushing her sire's bared skin, the girl finally opened her exhausted eyes, able to feel a certain cold body draping herself around her.

"Guess Kitten's finished. Did you finish, Kitty?" A Cheshire-cat like grin stretched across her features, Willow gave her childe a small kiss on her forehead before gazing into the pools of blue directly in front of her. "Were you a good little Kitten for Mommy?"

"Uh-huh..." Unable to voice anything apart from the single expression Tara could feel the sweat pooled underneath her body as she continued to lay on the sheets, her skin actually feeling warm for a single moment before the ever present cold within her body set out to reclaim its property.

"Do you think you could help your Mommy finish? That's what good Kittens do…the other you did it." Still grinning wildly, the vampire pushed herself into the sensitive and twitching lips between her childe's legs. "She's been waiting for so long to have you do that for her…"

"I t-t-think I can m…manage…" Smiling weakly, the blonde girl tried to summon enough strength within her tired body in order to push herself onto her arms. Her limbs refusing to respond to her commands, the vampire frowned. "Or n-n-not…"

"It's ok, Kitten." Her grin devolving into a small smirk, Willow took the necklace around her childe's neck into her hand. "Next time."

"W-What are you doing?" Her mind barely able to register what was happening before it was already too late to stop the ritual from beginning, the Demon inside Tara felt itself losing any and all control within the body. As it was ripped from its holding inside her mind and forced back into its 'prison', it screamed from behind closed eyes, trying desperately to hold on.

From where it lay inside the necklace's gentle and warm embrace, the Soul felt itself being pulled, slow and gentle at first, but rapidly gaining in strength and harshness. Realizing what was happening, it let go, the power held within the necklace sending her out of the crystal and back into the body's brain. As it fell into place, the Soul rested, and Tara shook her head slightly.

Opening her eyes, Tara looked into the pools of green now cradling her head as both she and her captor continued to lay on the bed, the slightly dampened sweats beneath them providing an alternating sensation on the two vampires' skins. Her swift fingers moving gently and slowly through the other girl's blonde locks, Willow let out a sigh as she felt her pet readjust how she was laying in her lap.

"You look so exhausted, Kitten." Looking down into the pair of blue irises staring attentively at her, the red-headed vampire saw the girl nod. Her pet's voice remaining locked away in her throat, Willow let out another sigh. "Your pretty voice won't sing for my ears."

"T-Tired…" Pushing out the single word, Tara's tone was noticeably hoarse in its sound, a further sigh of just how exhausted she was. Outside the crypt, the sun was undoubtedly regaining its control over the world below it, forcing the two of them to remain in the shadows and darkness of the underground world.

"Guess your Mommy tired you out, didn't she, little Kitty cat?" Chuckling softly as she continued to play with the other vampire's golden tresses, Willow reached over towards the nearby night-table and took a wine-glass half filled with dark red blood into her hands. "She got you all tuckered out."

Against her tired mind's better judgment, Tara smiled back at her sire, the necklace between her breasts the only thing adorning her otherwise bared body. Seeing her childe smiling at her, the sire leaned down and planted her lips against the other vampire's forehead. Closing her eyes as she felt the girl's lips on her skin, Tara nevertheless continued to smile, something about the way the red-head was holding her making her feel relaxed and unafraid. Reaching up and briefly running her fingers through the long red-tresses just barely touching her cheek and shoulder, the newly sired vampire felt her sire break the kiss after a few blissful moments and look down at her.

"Kitten likes to play with her Mommy's hair. She seems so much happier now…"

* * *

As she walked into the Bronze behind her sire, Tara strangely felt more at home and calm amongst the crowd of vampires than she had during the visit before. Not a single vamperic head turned to greet her, not one pair of eyes looked at her as if she were a next meal waiting to bed had…for all intents and purposes, she was simply Willow's mate, as the mark on her neck clearly showed to the rest of the world. Granted, she was sure that her completely leather attire, similar to how Willow herself was dressed, was turning a few heads towards her, but considering her sire's reputation around the rest of Sunnydale, it didn't surprise her that many were looking away.

"They're afraid of your Mommy, aren't they, Kitty?" Turning around as she squeezed the hand she was holding gently, Willow smirked. "They don't wanna make her angry."

Nodding in response, Tara briefly felt like shivering as she realized the way the red-head had virtually peered into her mind through their link. It seemed to either be a result of her traumatic siring or an unforeseen side-effect of the link that had been established between the necklace adorning her neck and her mind.

"W-Why are w-we here again?" As she pushed the question past her lips, the golden-haired vampire felt the hand holding her own tug on her slightly, bringing her closer to her sire.

"We're here to see Daddy, Kitty. We have to tell him what a bad boy Xander was to you." The tone lining her voice a cross between anger and amusement, Willow nevertheless smiled and leaned forward until her lips were pressing against her childe's lips. "After that we can go home and you can be a sleepy Kitten all you want."

Only giving a nod at the guard standing watch at the entrance to the Master's inner sanctum within the Bronze, Willow slipped past him, her hand still holding Tara's tightly. As the two of them slipped into the hallway illuminated only by a blood red bulb, the vampires could almost sense exactly how the other was feeling at that very moment. As a mix of happiness and anticipation that wasn't her own ran through her veins, Tara forced her mind to focus on things that were within her control at that single moment. Feeling the necklace around her neck bouncing up into the air before coming back down to land between her breasts, the golden-haired vampire stopped just as her sire did before a familiar door that led to the Master's personal chambers.

"Ready to go meet Daddy, Kitty? He's gonna be so happy to see that you're all big and strong again." Giving a nod as her sire finished her question, Tara felt somewhat to see a smile grace the red-head's features. Wasting no time in opening the door, Willow took the necessary steps into the room, gently giving her childe's arm a small tug in order to make her move again. Following suite, Tara remained close to the other vampire, unsure of what to expect from yet another meeting with the undisputed 'ruler' of Sunnydale. However, what she heard journey into her ears was the last thing she would have even considered.

"_Xander." _Snarling out her 'brother's' name, Willow could barely find the strength to restrain herself from launching towards the other vampire and ripping him till only scattered shreds remained of him. Her face changing into its true guise, the red-head took a step forward before her brain reminded her that her sire was standing only a few feet away.

"And so it seems that the childish spat between the two of you has _still _not been resolved." His tone full of annoyance, the Master continued to remain immobile with his arms crossed over his chest. "Tell me, my dear children, what exactly has occurred in the days since I told you to resolve it?"

"He tried to kill my Kitty, Daddy." Growling out the answer, Willow spat at the other vampire's feet. "Bit into what wasn't his and tried to take her away from me."

"Maybe I did and maybe I didn't." Seemingly amused at his sire's entire attitude towards him, Xander rolled his eyes. "Point is, I tried to help you, considering you're nothing more than obsessed with _her."_

As he finished his sentence, the younger vampire growled slightly at his only recently sired 'sister'. Silently watching the entire scene from her place behind her sire, Tara again seemed only more at ease than she had been the first time she had been within the Master's presence.

"She's mine, not yours. Even think about touching my Kitten, and I'll shove wood through your chest." Her entire stance refusing to waver for even the slightest of seconds, Willow still found herself taking a step backwards in order to reach out and hold her childe's hand. Taking a small sense of security in the fact that the childe was there, the red-head continued to snarl at her 'brother'.

"Children, children, stop. I wouldn't want to have someone clean the blood off of my floor." Gesturing towards the floor beneath his feet, the Master's expression remained in an emotionless state, a somewhat strange comparison to the two younger vampire's ones of anger. "Such feisty young minds, aren't they?"

Having remained largely silent, Tara found herself feeling strange as she realized the elder vampire had been speaking to her. As she looked back and forth between both his and her sire's expressions, the golden-haired vampire found herself swallowing hard and fidgeting from where she stood.

"Y-Y-Yes, t-they are..." Her voice barely even able to register as a whisper, the golden-haired vampire fidgeted again.

"Seems even your little toy agrees that you're acting like a child right now, Wills." A smirk a mile wide appearing on his face, Xander found himself chuckling at the way his sire's face matched the color of her hair. "What's that say about you?

"Come on, Kitty, we're going." Turning towards the door after giving her other childe one final snarl, the red-headed vampire almost kicked the door off of its hinges as she and Tara stormed out of the room.

As she made her way back through the crowd that surrounded the floor of the Bronze, Willow no longer even cared whether or not anyone could see or sense that she was upset. The fact that her first childe actually had the balls to embarrass her in front of her Daddy was the single thing driving both her body and mind at that moment.

"M-Mommy?" Her eyes attentively staring into the head of red-hair as it moved through the crowd, Tara held onto the other vampire's hand for dear life, not wanting to lose her sire in the crowd of vampires. "M-Mommy, please?"

"Keep walking, Kitten. Mommy will talk to you once we're outside. She wants the bad Kitten now." Half growling, half-snarling out her response, the red-headed vampire continued on her quest to reach the main door of the club. Upon finally reaching that single object, she threw the doors open, actually managing to make one of the guards stationed there jump, and walked along the sidewalk until she reached a nearby alleyway. "Come here, Kitty, Mommy's gonna make you bad again."

"W-W-What?" Her eyes and voice instantly becoming stricken with fear, Tara found herself backing up into the wall bordering behind her.

"Xander was bad to my Kitty, so I'm gonna sick my Kitten's claws on him." Her voice still a snarl, Willow softened her tone slightly in order to prevent herself from scaring her childe. "Ok, Kitty, does that sound ok with you? I wanna make sure you'll be safe."

"B-But isn't h-he…?"

"He's my childe, just like you are, Kitty. I brought him in, I can sure as hell take him out." Her speech pattern finally dropping it's almost constant use of referring to herself as Tara's 'Mommy', Willow nevertheless reached out with her hand. Only stopping with her fingertips within only a few inches of touching her childe's necklace, the red-headed vampire stopped and gazed into the slightly scared pools of blue looking back at her. "Is that alright with you, Kitty? You don't have to if you don't want to. I'll give you the choice."

"I…I…" Her mind rushing to find an appropriate answer to respond with, Tara closed her eyes and took in a breath of un-needed air. "…Alright."

"Thank you, Tara." Further surprising the other vampire by using her real name instead of her seemingly permanent pet name, Willow touched the necklace and closed her fingers around it. "You'll be back to your nice Kitty self soon, I promise."

* * *

"Alright, Wills, what did you want? Because if you came to snarl and throw crosses in my face again, I really have better things to do with my time." As he turned into the alleyway, Xander expected to find himself face to face with his sire, considering that it was she who had called him here. But as he looked out across the shadows that covered the side of the Bronze, he heard nothing but the sound of his own voice echoing back to him.

"Hello, Wills, you in there somewhere?" Taking a few proud steps into the darkness, the male vampire needn't have waited mere moments before his vamperic senses adjusted enough that the night became as bright as day. And yet, just as before, he was faced with nothing but an empty space. "Wills, come on, I don't have time to play around. The night's still young, and I'm not getting any older."

"Dear sweet Mommy isn't going to be around…" Turning his head as he looked back towards the entrance that he had taken, Xander almost found himself grinning amongst laughter as he saw his sire's play-toy standing behind him.

"Oh, this is just rich. I get it. You're playing the whole dark and mysterious vamp who's decided to come back and destroy something that tried to kill her." Raising his hands in front of him as he chuckle and mocked the other vampire, Xander couldn't erase the grin off of his face. "It was nothing personal, killing you, ya know. Just business."

"And that's what this is then, just business." Taking a few striding steps towards her sire's other childe, Tara smiled a venomous smile. "You killed me, so I'm going to return that favor."

"Oh? And what exactly is the pathetic toy that Wills seems so obsessed with going to do?" The other vampire's statement having made his chuckling evolve into full-blown laughter, Xander continued to keep his eyes on the Demon rapidly approaching him. "Stab me with a little tiny stick? I'm shaking, I really am."

"You should be, because sweet little, weakling Tara isn't here right now." Her smile still spewing venom from both corners of her mouth, Tara stopped in her advance for a moment in order to allow her face to transform into its true guise. "I'm here in her place."

"Come on now, you're not fooling anyone. Any vamp can show that face and expect someone to piss their pants on the spot, but you're not fooling me. I know exactly what you are."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong." In the blink of an eye, Tara had crossed the remaining feet between herself and her sire's other childe, and was holding the Demon by his throat. "You did something to me, and I didn't like it. So, we're going to play a little game, alright?"

"Oh, this is just rich." Still laughing even as the other vampire held him by his throat against the side of the Bronze, the former teenager could still sense the difference between the girl he had killed and the one that was standing before him. The Demon holding his throat seemed…darker, with a somewhat insane look dancing through her eyes. His vision was so focused on those blue irises that even as he felt a sharp prick making its way through his skin, he didn't look away until he could see exactly what it was his sire's newest childe was holding.

"That's right, you know what this is." Her smirk finally subsiding for a moment as she titled her head, Tara knew that only a few small inches lay between the pointed edge of the stake and the other vampire's heart. "One little push by me, and you're all dusty. I know exactly what you felt in that crypt, when you drank from me, threw me around,_ hurt_ me. You had all the Power in that situation, and now, the shoe's on the other foot, isn't it?"

"Hey, look, it was nothing personal, you know that, don't you?" Her once strong and unflinching tone dissolving into one laced to the brim with fear, Xander finally realized what Willow had called him here for. She wanted him dead and gone, and that's exactly what was going to happen. There was no room for him to try and escape, considering that the stake was already too far embedded into his chest. The only thing left to do was wait.

"Oh, I'm sure. Just like the first time wasn't personal, wasn't it? I was just some meal on legs for you, wasn't I?" Scoffing at the Demon's attempt to make amends, Tara stared into his eyes.

"It wasn't, I was only kidding, you know, playing around-" His attempt at bargaining once again spewing from his lips, Xander only stopped as he felt Tara's finger pressing down on his lips.

_"Ssshhh…"_ Shushing the Demon with a wide smile on her face, the golden-haired vampire gave a small, forced yawn before tilting her head back to its normal position. "Bored now."

Barely having the time to widen his eyes, Xander felt something sharp pierce his heart, his body crumbling into dust within seconds. As she lifted her finger away from the crumbling vampire's lips, Tara smiled widely.

"Nothing personal."

"What a good little Kitten you are." Clapping and chuckling softly as she emerged from her hiding place, Willow found herself wrapping her arms around her childe's neck. "Sweet little Kitty made her Momma proud."


	12. Realization And Epilogue

**Chapter 12 & Epilogue  
**

As she and her sire walked silently through the otherwise abandoned graveyard, Tara couldn't help but feel slightly out of place. Granted, she knew now more than ever that the vampire at her side did in fact love her in the same way that she did, but still…if someone had told her a year or so earlier that she would be in that very place, she wouldn't have believed it. The entire affair seemed so strange. One minute, she had been a human, and then she had been a vampire, and then back to being a human, and now here she was, sired once more.

"I…I didn't t-thank y-you, for s-s-saving me…"

"You don't have to, Kitty. Mommy wasn't going to let someone take her beautiful little girl away from her." Smiling as she and her mate walked towards their 'home', at least for the moment, Willow chuckled slightly, her green eyes dancing with a certain quality to them that eluded description. As she turned her head and looked into those irises, Tara would have swallowed, had she felt nervous in any way. After what had happened in the past weeks, the things that the other vampire had done, said, and experienced with her, there wasn't a single thought or idea that scared her. Over and over again, the words of "I love you too' poured through her hearing.

"I d-do…" Wishing she could stop stuttering, Tara knew that it would stop, one day. Even now, it wasn't as bad as it once had been. With the passing of time, it would more than likely fade away completely. "Y-You didn't have to, but y-you did."

"Because you asked me to, Tara. And because I wanted to." Saying the girl's name, Willow stopped as the two of them reached the door of the crypt. Neither of them made any movements to open said door however, and the two of them simply stood, staring into each other's eyes. No words, no stray thoughts, not even a single movement. Just the two of them simply staring into each other's eyes.

And as she gazed back, Tara finally realized that this was where she was supposed to be. Everything in her life, her family, her siring, her rebirth as a human, and then her resiring. It all was supposed to happen. This was what the stars had had in mind for her. This girl standing in front of her, her red-hair dangling around her face in a beautiful and enticing manner, she was her _soul-mate._ Leaning her head forward, the golden-haired vampire closed her eyes as she gently pressed her lips against her sire's own pair. Her arms snaking around her childe's waist, Willow closed her own green irises as she felt those soft lips gently make contact on her own.

Minutes upon minutes passed, and as the first rays of the sun rose on the horizon, the red-head kicked the door open to the crypt and pulled the two of them inside, their lips never once separating as Willow shut the door behind them.

* * *

**Ten Years Later**

As she looked out across the dimly light city below her, Tara closed her eyes for a moment and breathed in the night air. It was close to Autumn now, and although it had been years since she had been resired by her, now, mate, she could recall a sense of fear she had once held in her heart about the town below her now. It had all seemed so different in every sensation imaginable. Where once there had been fear, she now felt nothing but joy. Where once she felt a subtle hatred for the Hellmouth and it's demonic population, she knew felt a small sense of grudging respect, in the same way that it was given to her.

Having been able to sense Willow sneaking up behind her, the blonde haired vampire felt a smile tug on the edges of her lips as a familiar pair of arms slipped around her waist and held her tightly to her own cold body.

"Enjoying the nice little view?" She heard an equally familiar voice purr into her ear, the mere sound of its tone sending shivers of excitement scattering through her skin. "My Queen?"

"Oh yes." Replying in a now stutter-less voice, Tara turned her head slightly until she could just barely met those beautiful green eyes with her own pair. "It's such a beautiful view of this town we share together."

How long had it been since Willow had taken the Master's place as rule of Sunnydale? Five, six, seven years? With her immortality once again in place, it all seemed to blend together into a single event. The necklace around her neck glowing faintly, the vampire closed her eyes, knowing that the Demon inside the object was partially contained. The two of them had at least learned to coexist within the same body, with a small amount of respect having blossomed between the two of them. While she couldn't say that she had grown to love the Demon in any manner, she had recognized that it was, in theory, a part of herself now. That was something she could change, no matter how hard she tried.

The purring in her ear refusing to waver or case, the golden-haired vampire opened her eyes and once again peered out across the city streets that flowed with a small mixture of vampires and the humans who were still brave enough to walk amongst them. Under Willow's leadership, and along with some…_persuasion _from her mate, the two groups had at least managed to come up with what could be considered a 'truce' of some sorts to the remaining Whitehats. Most of said group had died in the battle that had caused the Master to be slain, along with the self-proclaimed 'leader' of the White-Hats, the Slayer. As was the way things worked, a new Slayer had been called after the battle that had claimed the previous one, as well as the Master, and she had assumed leadership of the group. Still, considering how little a threat either group posed to the other, it had been easy enough to negotiate a way for the two of them to at least…'share' the town.

Tara knew that although her mate wasn't full sportive of the plan at certain times, she did at least make the effort to be…'friendly' to any humans bold enough to actually speak so much as a syllable to her in person. The deeding came easy, considering that there were still a healthy amount of criminals within the town limits, and with some more…convincing, though of the less sexy and smutty variety… a number of said criminals became…blood donors to the small, but gradually rising vampire population within the town's limits.

"You're so pretty when you're thinking about things, Kitten." Purring each and every word like a whisper into the other vampire's ear, Willow playfully grinned as she saw her mate roll her eyes. "And you know how much I like it when you do that…"

"I thought we agreed no more snuggling on the roof?" Giggling a little, Tara nevertheless leaned back into her mate and laid her hands upon the ones holding onto her waist. "You know what all the minions hear and say about the last time…"

"I don't think that's any of their business…" Giving a small possessive growl, Willow held onto her mate tighter than she had before. "You're all mine. And I don't share with anyone."

"Such a selfish Queen, aren't you?" Answering her mate's growl with a small snicker, the blonde haired vampire found herself purring as the hands holding onto her waist began to gently rub her stomach. "Not wanting to share me…"

"I don't share what's mine." Growling playfully once more, the red-head continued rubbing her mate's stomach, the action earning her more and more purrs from Tara. "And you're all mine. Every single inch of you."

"And I believe you're mine as well." Grinning ear-to-ear, the blonde vampire continued purring as she leaned further into Willow's leather encased body. "Every single inch of you.""

Only offering a playful growl in response, Willow swept the other vampire off her feet and held her close to her chest. Giggling as she felt the firm and solid rooftop under her feet disappear, Tara snuggled her head firmly into her lover's leather-encased chest. Smiling down at the vampire she held in her arms, Willow playfully nipped at her mate's neck.

"And right now, I'm gonna seize every inch of you that's mine, and then some." She said as she opened the door to the rest of their 'palace' awkwardly with one hand. Staring up into the eyes of her mate, she grinned as she heard the door shut behind them, as they walked hand in hand, back into the dark where they, together, had found love and happiness in each other's arms.

**END**

* * *

**And that's it! Hopefully it wasn't too corny of an ending :P  
**


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